About AoA

None of this is about ego, celebrity, or glamour. We are friends who had a unique opportunity to crack into an extremely difficult business, and we said yes. We believe in saying yes more often. Time with friends, exploring new adventures, scratching the itch of curiosity, and taking some risks. We all have regrets, but this isn’t one of them, and our objective in living full lives is to have fewer as we age.

We aren’t going to tell you what to taste, because everyone is different. We believe in the idea of creative expression, but we are also fanatical about quality and flavor. All of our releases were made with awe, joy, humility, and purpose…things that we hold dear, and we hope you feel the same way when you are drinking our bottles.

Connection, collaboration, and community are at the center of what we dig…and we look for it in everything we do. We love our families and friends, and can’t wait to make more. May this be a vehicle that brings people together, as we are lucky to have a platform such as Art of Alchemy from which to share.

Roy
Milner

Founding Partner

Roy Milner is widely known as a Co-Founder of Blackberry Farm Brewery and has been in and around the spirits industry for the better part of two decades. As one of the founding partners of Art of Alchemy (AoA), he utilizes his extensive experience in collaborating with distillers of all sizes to innovate and create new products.

Feeling a disconnect to the secondary market traders and those who would rather hoard fine whiskies, Roy, along with three partners and friends, set out to establish a spirit brand created “by friends, for friends”.

In 2022, AoA was born from a passion for creating products, building brands, sharing stories, and collaborating with other makers. Drawing from a long list of friends who just happen to be some of the most influential minds, brands, and masters in the world of whiskey, AoA produces unique blends that celebrate community and connectivity, creating common ground and shared experiences.

His love of music, travel, hospitality, fashion, and art all influenced a brand created to celebrate the mystery and magic that happens when you bring both art and alchemy together—from sourcing, blending, finishing, collaborating, and sharing.

Mac Macsovits

Founding Partner

Starting out as an enthusiast and collector of bourbons and whiskeys, Mac Macsovits’ passion grew into a desire to create a spirit brand of his own. He dove in headfirst, becoming intimately involved in the whiskey sector and fostering relationships with top distillers and brand owners across the country.

This led to his partnership with Cask Catalyst, a first-rate consulting and investment firm focused on helping emerging bev-alc brands scale.

Having worked with brands big and small, Mac was presented with the opportunity to start Art of Alchemy (AoA) alongside three friends and partners, including Blackberry Farm Brewery Co-Founder Roy Milner. In July 2022, AoA launched their Blend No. 1 with just 1,200 cases, selling out in less than two weeks. This transition from advisor and executive to an operator of his own craft spirits brand reveals Mac’s knack for creating, developing, and scaling beverage brands.

Mac is enthusiastic about the liquid, but just as passionate about the stories that a great whiskey tells and sharing these experiences. While Colorado is now home for Mac, he is a Southerner at heart as a North Carolina native.

Steef Schelke

Founding Partner

Steef Schelke has over 20-years of experience in sales and channel development for numerous early-stage beverage brands, including having a role on the founding team of Wine.com. As a Dutchman, he also tried to do his part to bring Genever Gin back to the US.

With a passion for applying his experience to support food and beverage entrepreneurs, Steef co-founded Craft Catalyst, a company that provides operational resources to early-stage brands.

In 2021 Steef joined forces with Chris Olivier, Roy Milner and Mac Macsovits to launch a spin-off business focused solely on beverage-alcohol brands, named Cask Catalyst. This became the launching pad for the group’s very own beverage brand, Art of Alchemy.

Steef currently lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife Muriel and their two daughters.

AoA Blend No. 1

Our flagship release is a combination of three exceptional distillates of varying ages—two ryes and one bourbon. Each was extracted from our unique collection of rare and orphaned barrels.

3 Year

Rye Whiskey

80% Rye

12% Corn

8% Barley

20 Barrels

6 Year

Rye Whiskey

51% Rye

45% Corn

4% Barley

8 Barrels

8 Year

Bourbon Whiskey

75% Corn

21% Rye

4% Barley

12 Barrels

Learn More

About AoA

About AoA

Roy
Milner

Founding Partner

Feeling a disconnect to the secondary market traders and those who would rather hoard fine whiskies, Roy, along with three partners and friends, set out to establish a spirit brand created “by friends, for friends”.

His love of music, travel, hospitality, fashion, and art all influenced a brand created to celebrate the mystery and magic that happens when you bring both art and alchemy together—from sourcing, blending, finishing, collaborating, and sharing.

Mac Macsovits

Founding Partner

This led to his partnership with Cask Catalyst, a first-rate consulting and investment firm focused on helping emerging bev-alc brands scale.

Mac is enthusiastic about the liquid, but just as passionate about the stories that a great whiskey tells and sharing these experiences. While Colorado is now home for Mac, he is a Southerner at heart as a North Carolina native.

Steef Schelke

Founding Partner

Steef Schelke has over 20-years of experience in sales and channel development for numerous early-stage beverage brands, including having a role on the founding team of Wine.com. As a Dutchman, he also tried to do his part to bring Genever Gin back to the US.

With a passion for applying his experience to support food and beverage entrepreneurs, Steef co-founded Craft Catalyst, a company that provides operational resources to early-stage brands.

In 2021 Steef joined forces with Chris Olivier, Roy Milner and Mac Macsovits to launch a spin-off business focused solely on beverage-alcohol brands, named Cask Catalyst. This became the launching pad for the group’s very own beverage brand, Art of Alchemy.

Steef currently lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife Muriel and their two daughters.

AoA Blend No. 1

Our flagship release is a combination of three exceptional distillates of varying ages—two ryes and one bourbon. Each was extracted from our unique collection of rare and orphaned barrels.

3 Year

Rye Whiskey

20 Barrels

6 Year

Rye Whiskey

8 Barrels

8 Year

Bourbon Whiskey

12 Barrels

Get in touch with us

We welcome your friendship, questions, comments, and business inquiries, so drop us line and say “hello”.