Tucked into the Sierra Nevada foothills along Highway 4 in Arnold, Hinterhaus Distilling sits at about 4,000 feet elevation where mountain air meets craft spirits. Founded by husband-and-wife team Chris and Heather Hinterhaus, this small-batch operation opened its doors in 2018 after the couple traded corporate careers for copper stills and grain bills. Chris brings an engineering background to the technical side of distilling, while Heather handles the business operations and visitor experience from their 2,000 square foot facility. They produce vodka, gin, and whiskey using traditional pot still methods, focusing on quality over quantity with runs that rarely exceed a few hundred bottles at a time. The name “Hinterhaus” reflects Chris’s German heritage and translates to “back house” or “secondary building,” which fits perfectly since their distillery occupies what was once a light industrial space behind other businesses. You’ll find them working the stills themselves most days, grinding grain and monitoring fermentation with the kind of hands-on approach that’s become rare even in craft distilling. The mountain location isn’t just scenic—the high altitude and clean air actually affect fermentation and aging in ways the Hinterhäus team has learned to work with rather than against.