West of Tradition, in a snapshot
WEST OF TRADITION Chronicles the Rise of American Single Malt Whiskey
New feature documentary follows Westland Distillery and pioneering producers across the country as they help create a distinctly American whiskey tradition.
SEATTLE — September 2026 — A new feature documentary, West of Tradition, tells the story of American single malt whiskey at a remarkable moment in its evolution — following the distillers, farmers and whiskey makers who helped transform an idea into a federally recognized category.
The film is now live on Prime Video, with more platforms to come.
Produced by the same team who created the PBS documentary The Water of Life – A Whisky Film and Independent Spirits, West of Tradition uses Seattle’s Westland Distillery as the narrative spine of a much larger American whiskey story. It was directed by Greg Swartz and produced by Trevor Jones, Nate Barlow, and Joe Vulopas.
“Whisky has always been a story of place,” says Swartz. “What interested me was what happens when you take an old idea like single malt and put it in completely different hands and completely different places. American distillers weren’t handed hundreds of years of tradition telling them exactly how this had to be done. They had to figure it out for themselves — and that uncertainty, ambition and creativity is where the story of this film really lives.”
While Westland provides the central narrative, West of Tradition travels across the American single malt landscape, featuring Whisky Del Bac in Arizona, McCarthy’s in Oregon, Stranahan’s in Colorado, St. George Spirits in California, Cedar Ridge in Iowa and Virginia Distilling Company in Virginia.
Together, their stories reveal a category shaped not by a single region, but by distillers asking versions of the same question: What should single malt whiskey taste like when it comes from here?
“American single malt isn’t really one story,” says producer Trevor Jones. “It’s a collection of people in very different parts of the country who arrived at a similar idea, then took it in completely different directions. That diversity is what makes this feel like the beginning of a genuinely American tradition rather than an imitation of somebody else’s.”
The film follows the story from distillery floors into barley fields, forests, breweries, wineries and rack houses, exploring how agriculture, climate, local ingredients and individual creativity shape the whiskey in the glass. After years of work by producers across the country, American single malt whiskey received formal federal recognition in December 2024.
“We started with whiskey, but the deeper we went, the more this became a film about people building something without knowing exactly where it would lead,” says producer Nate Barlow. “These distillers weren’t just making drinks. Whether they realized it at the time or not, they were helping build a category.”
West of Tradition is now live on Prime Video, with more platforms to come.
Trailer: tinyurl.com/WOT-Trailer
Press Kit: https://tinyurl.com/WOT-EPK
MEDIA CONTACT
Joe Vulopas | Blacksmith & Jones
The Team
GREG SWARTZ • DIRECTOR
After walking away from a job as a newspaper reporter in his native Pennsylvania, Greg moved to Los Angeles to make films. After spending a year at Warner Bros., he moved into commercial production, eventually developing a client roster that included Kia, BMW, United Airlines, and Gray Advertising.
His directorial debut Another Harvest Moon — described by Box-office Magazine as “Powerful, poignant, honest, uncompromising, and touching — won two “Audience Choice” awards and stars Ernest Borgnine, Piper Laurie, Doris Roberts, Cybill Shepherd, Anne Meara and Richard Schiff. It’s currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
TREVOR JONES • PRODUCER
Originally from Toronto, Trevor Jones produced for the hit National Geographic documentary Billy the Kid: New Evidence, which represented the third docudrama project he produced for television after Discovery Channel’s Kidnap and Rescue, and Animal Planet’s Virus Hunters.
Trevor has also produced two branch-narrative series for Eko, Timeline directed by Kimmy Gatewood (GLOW) and Damage Control starring Busy Philipps and Ben Schwartz. As a commercial producer, Trevor partnered with Kimmy Gatewood and Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) to produce three PSA’s for Refinery29 on behalf of Planned Parenthood. He has also produced spots a spot for Activision that was awarded an AICP award.
NATE BARLOW • PRODUCER
Nate graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, but quickly rejected an engineering career to be a filmmaker in Los Angeles. He has since worn many hats in the entertainment industry, from producer to writer, actor, director, and executive. Recent work includes restoring the silent film His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz, which premiered in September 2024, and directing the award-winning experimental documentary short A Brief History of Hollywood, which played thirty-three festivals worldwide. Previously, Nate also wrote the Meghan Markle romantic-comedy Random Encounters and produced & directed the sci-fi/horror anthology Tales From Beyond, starring Adam West.
Rob Chatlin • PRODUCER • Editor
A native of Detroit, Rob relocated to Los Angeles and began a long career in Entertainment Marketing, producing and editing campaigns for major networks in Broadcast, Satellite and Cable.
The siren song of Documentaries brought Rob into The Water of Life family, as both Editor and Associate Producer. Next came producing and editing an award-winning film on the life and career of legendary artist/illustrator Dave Stevens.
Following his work on Independent Spirits, Rob is refilling his glass once more, with Distilled to Perfection: The Spirit of Japanese Whisky, a comprehensive 3-part docu-series exploring 100 years of whisky in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Brad Kenyon • DP • Producer
With more than 25 years of film and video production, Brad is a co-founder and managing partner of Aurora Films, a full-service production company based in Central Pennsylvania.
Brad has a B.S. degree in Broadcast Communications and is certified as an Arriflex camera operator, with experience in both aerial and underwater cinematography.
He began his professional career producing, shooting, and editing corporate media for a company owned by a National Geographic underwater cinematographer. Following this, he worked as a freelance producer, cinematographer and editor, primarily on independent films and corporate videos. Aurora was founded in August of 2000 and takes a documentary-style approach to corporate video. For a list of the most current companies that Brad has worked with, visit www.aurorafilms.com.
ALFONSE PALAIMA • DP • Producer
Like with motorcycling, Alfonse got a late start with the spirits-based lifestyle. Similarly, the learning curve for both riding a motorcycle and drinking adult beverages was rocky at first, but smoothed out over time.
Having grown into a long-distance rider and motorcycle journalist, Alfonse has been focused on the journey over the destination for the last twenty years. Through numerous careers, his path–as an artist, to programmer, to photographer–is wide and colorful.
A parallel journey through the world of libations happened during that time as well; grain to vodka, Irish whiskey to rum, wine to craft beer… and back again to whiskey, but without the ‘e’ this time. The “good stuff” is now on his radar, and acting as producer to Water of Life, Alfonse merges his many talents into one. His mysterious blend of artistry and machinery, help to propel the WOL brand from concept to celluloid.
As par for his course, his creative agency, Motion-Activated, has primarily serviced the motorcycle industry, and includes such clients as Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki and American Honda.
Joe Vulopas • EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
A native of Lancaster, PA, Joe Vulopas is a producer with Blacksmith & Jones, helping move documentary projects from ambitious ideas into the world. He works across partnerships, outreach, and production planning, connecting the people and opportunities that help each film reach its audience. Joe brings energy, resourcefulness, and a gift for building relationships to the team.
Hannah Burkhart • co-producer
Hannah began her film journey at the age of 10, co-starring in Greg Swartz’s short film Betsy (2005). Now she enjoys working behind the camera, drawn to the creative process and the art of filmmaking.
Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Hannah now calls Seattle her home. She has a passion for telling stories and creating meaningful connections through shared experiences. When she’s not working on set, she enjoys spending time outdoors and exploring the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Guy Satchwell • co-producer
Having jumped ship from working in airports, Guy joined the world of film in the mid 90’s as co-producer of a documentary starring the late Sir Terry Pratchett. Moving over to the sound department he has worked mostly in documentary and factual ever since. Recent years saw a return to producing with several co-productions in the streamers catalogues and a few projects currently shooting. Guy met director Greg Swartz whilst employed as sound mixer on the Blacksmith & Jones film Water of Life. Becoming firm friends, a phone conversation in mid 2020 led to a ‘let’s do it’ moment…and Guy started shooting material for a documentary about Independent Bottlers. Independent Spirits is his directorial debut.
QiQi Wu • co-producer
Having jumped ship from working in airports, Guy joined the world of film in the mid 90’s as co-producer of a documentary starring the late Sir Terry Pratchett. Moving over to the sound department he has worked mostly in documentary and factual ever since. Recent years saw a return to producing with several co-productions in the streamers catalogues and a few projects currently shooting. Guy met director Greg Swartz whilst employed as sound mixer on the Blacksmith & Jones film Water of Life. Becoming firm friends, a phone conversation in mid 2020 led to a ‘let’s do it’ moment…and Guy started shooting material for a documentary about Independent Bottlers. Independent Spirits is his directorial debut.