We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Silvija Dudor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Silvija, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Vintage Distilling started with a dream. Started by husband and wife team Erik & Silvija Dudor- third generation and first generation Lithuanian’s respectfully – their dream was to bring the traditional Lithuanian honey spirit “Krupnikas” to their home community of LA and the modern market. Krupnikas is a cultural staple in Lithuanian culture. Silvija recalls always having a bottle on the table during holidays and as celebratory drinks at weddings.
When Erik began making honey vodka at home as a humble hobby- the best way to celebrate their first successful batch was to debut it at their wedding.
Erik then attended a Master Distillers training at LA Distillers – where he refined his distilling process – first producing a sipping vodka without honey of exceptional quality. His unique finishing technique allowed him to hand craft this vodka to perfection.
Vintage Distilling now offers two extraordinary spirits: the Handcrafted Vodka & Honey Vodka – both with distinct flavor profiles unlike any spirits you’ve tasted before.
Made with neutral grain spirit, purified water and locally sourced all natural honey from a California based bee co-op for the Honey Vodka – these bottles represent Erik & Silvija’s dedication to preserving their Lithuanian heritage in the modern context of their LA roots.
In every bottle of Vintage Distilling’s Vodkas you will taste the passion, cultural richness, and refinement that go in to every drop. Whatever you are toasting to- from a casual celebration to life’s biggest highlights- Vintage Distilling Vodka’s are the perfect sip.
These bottles will enhance social gatherings and culinary experiences alike offering a sophisticated and refined choice for those who appreciate quality spirits.
Whether enjoyed as a base for inventive cocktails or sipped neat for a moment of quiet indulgence Vintage Distilling Vodka will add depth and character to any experience.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

10 years ago when I met Erik (now my husband & business partner) he had just quit his job and was ready to turn his hobby into a business. I was impressed & told him let’s go for it. It took us a few years & faced many challenges but we are now ready to create the buzz about our made in LA vodkas. We wanted to create a vodka that was unlike a vodka you’ve ever had before! With attention to detail, highest quality ingredients we introduced two vodkas that are handmade by us. Our business is build around our flagship Honey Vodka that’s made with all natural honey that we get from Orange County. It’s the perfect balance of vodka & honey to be sipped neat or a great addition to any cocktail to add natural sweetness, so you can skip the simple syrups and fake sugars. We made a non flavored vodka too, since we needed a base for the Honey Vodka & our regular Handcrafted Vodka really surprised us. We knew it was spectacular but when we received a 94 rating from Wine Enthusiast & won double gold at SIP Awards & San Fransisco International Spirits Competition, it validated our opinion. Since the world reopened post pandemic we have been busy with tastings and trying to get into bars & restaurants. The alcohol industry is dominated by big brands & celebrities, so we are just the little guys trying to create the buzz. We also support the beekindfoundation.org to save bees right here in Los Angeles

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Starting a vodka company in Los Angeles was a challenge of its own. Liquor laws haven’t been updated since prohibition era – zoning, permits, higher costs, all the legal stuff… was a challenge to figure out. We couldn’t just google how to start a vodka company. With a lot of research & time we finally secured our location in Glendale, CA – filed for our federal permits & that’s when the government shut down happened. At the time that was so stressful because we were just paying rent and unable to start out build out. Once we were past that, we were excited to start crafting our vodkas, but that’s also when Covid hit. We were in the middle of our blueprint approvals with the city and everything was on pause. Eventually the build out was completed, way past deadline, way more money spent that we had planned for because of the delays & additional fire proof room costs that we had to build. But now we had a different problem… bars were closed. We couldn’t go out and sell, liquor stores were cautious when bringing in new products that people can’t even taste since no tastings were allowed. In 2020 & 2021 we really struggled since we were unable to do anything, we shifted our focus to online but even finding a retailer who can ship alcohol was a challenge of its own. 2022 when world was slowly opening up, we were able to enter the competitions that gave us some clout since our vodkas received amazing feedback. 2023 is when things really changed for us. We had the opportunity to sponsor LA Fashion Week which was the first time we had the opportunity to set up an activation and share our vodkas with the masses. Since then we been busy with tasting events of all sorts from in store to local events. We partnered up with an online retailer who helped us grow our online presence and things are finally moving in the right direction. Don’t get me wrong, we are still in the thick of it. We don’t have a team of ambassadors or budget left since most of it went to just paying rent to survive the pandemic. At this point it is just my husband Erik & I trying to do it all… from handcrafting the vodka our selves, promoting it, selling it, social media, advertising, website, etc – we do it all.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Primarily Instagram. When I started our @vintagedistilling page, I wasn’t sure what I was doing. Big brands have a ton of money towards marketing and content which I did not have. So I decided to treat our account almost as a personal account.. Sharing all the amazing cocktails you can make with out vodkas, but also showing the challenges. I was able to connect with so many people in the industry and make friends. Showing up myself & showing that there is a human behind the brand & I am that human. Same goes for tasting events that we do, since we do them ourselves – I think it really adds value to see the owners working their asses off.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vintagedistilling.com
• Instagram: vintagedistilling
• Linkedin: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi2t9nFjOqCAxWkOUQIHXKXDUEQFnoECBAQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Fvintage-distilling&usg=AOvVaw1ThPB17iBud4N2b3Ikr20x&opi=89978449