When Chris Berg first introduced his younger brothers Matt and Keith to Stonecutter Spirits’ single barrel gin, it was love at first sip.

Matt, something of an amateur spirit connoisseur himself, immediately recognized something special about the gin. Aged in bourbon barrels and laced with distinct notes including cardamom, orange peel, and rose petal, its flavor stood out instantly.

“It’s special in the way that a Gray Goose or a Don Julio [is],” Matt said. “It’s just so sippable and smooth.” 

Stonecutter, which produces both gin and whiskey, was co-founded in 2013 by Sivan Cotel and Sas Stewart. The company released its signature Single Barrel Gin in the summer of 2015, which went on to win double gold and best in category at the esteemed San Francisco World Spirits Competition, widely considered to be the most influential and respected spirits competition in the world.

A year later, the company released its Heritage Cask Whiskey to similar acclaim, further growing its group of die-hard fans, including the Berg brothers. In-state, Cotel and Stewart opened a bar-restaurant in Burlington and a tasting room in Middlebury. Meanwhile, Stonecutter continued to expand beyond Vermont, moving sales into Massachusetts and New York. 

But whiskey is an expensive venture and it takes a long time to become profitable. As Matt Berg put it, “nobody’s going to drink a whiskey that’s younger than four years old.” So, while there were plenty of casks aging at Stonecutter, they couldn’t keep up with demand.

Despite the acclaim, despite its newly-found cult status, by late 2019 the company found itself in trouble and announced the closure of its retail locations. 

“The fact that we have people who are so devoted… who are saying I’m stocking up every bottle I can… that made it very hard when we started to do the difficult work,” Cotel said. 

But it would turn out to be those same fans who came to the rescue. When the Berg brothers heard Stonecutter was closing its doors, they weren’t going to let it go out without a fight.

“My immediate response was ‘Chris, buy me a case [of the gin],’” Matt Berg said. “I don’t want to run out of these — I liked it that much.”

The brothers’ next impulse was to call the owners to try and offer whatever help they could to save the gin.

When they heard Cotel and Stewart wouldn’t be able to keep the company afloat alone, the three made an offer to buy Stonecutter: the backstock of gin and the brand itself. After a few months, the Bergs finally got the answer they were looking for.

The rest of 2020 was spent in deliberation over the details of the trade. The Bergs spent a long time looking for potential financial sponsors before eventually deciding to buy the company out of pocket.

Chris ultimately decided to leave the venture to focus on running his Icelandic sheep farm in Springfield, Vermont, and in November of 2020, Keith and Matt officially became the owners of Stonecutter. 

For Matt, it was the realization of a dream that he didn’t quite know he had. 

“It’s kind of surreal, honestly,” he said. “This is not anything we were looking for. The fact that we heard it was going out of business and we loved it that much, honestly tells you that it comes down to the product. We really, truly were both so passionate about it.”

Both Keith, who recently moved from Holliston to Rhode Island, and Matt, who still lives here, are keeping their day jobs at least for the foreseeable future. They’ve outsourced bottling to a company called Vermont Spirits in Quechee. Until the Bergs can sell enough product to get Stonecutter back on its feet, they’re focusing on producing the gin they’re so passionate about and selling to their current customer base. 

Keith’s wife, Holliston native Amy Berg, is working for the company now, building up relationships with distributors locally, and overseeing Stonecutter’s first foray into Rhode Island, where they just acquired a license to sell their product this week.

And once Stonecutter gets its sea legs back, the Bergs hope to open a tasting room, recommence the production of whiskey, and “tinker” around with new special edition gins.

For Cotel, he’s thrilled to see the company he helped create in the hands of its superfans. 

“I hope Matt and Keith hit an absolute grand slam and it’s on every shelf in the country and my grandkids know that was the company I co-founded,” he said. 

Chris, Keith, and Matt Berg all raised their kids in Holliston, many of whom attended Holliston Public Schools. Matt still lives in western Holliston with his wife, Alicia, and their kids.