Post Shift Podcast #124 - Fast Penny Spirits

Had an amazing chat with the team behind Fast Penny Spirits in Seattle, the struggles of launching a niche amari product during covid, the craft spirit movement and hurdles of entrepreneurship.

Co-founders, Jamie Hunt and Holly Robinson met through a mutual industry professional who insisted they work together after hearing Jamie’s vision to start an Amaro company.

Holly’s background in non-profit media development, sustainable farming and the distilling industry paired perfectly with Jamie’s career in the global digital world. While planning the future of Fast Penny Spirits they quickly bonded over shared love of cookbooks, shellfish and bitter joys in life.

With grandparents who emigrated from Sicily, Jamie grew up embracing Italian culture and flavors from an early age. Holly grew up on a farm in Eastern Washington, where sustainable gardening was part of everyday life. Their love affair with food and flavor is apparent through the Amari the pair created.

Building a company focused on creating a high-quality, complex but approachable American-made amaro was a natural fit. Both being Pacific Northwest natives, they also wanted to highlight the abundant organic and wild-crafted ingredients the region had to offer.

The desire to give-back in their everyday work was what solidified the partnership. Fast Penny Spirits fully commits to support sustainable food systems, environmental practices, and empowering women and our communities.

Breaking down classic Amari into the individual ingredients, they made individual tinctures and then blended them in hundreds of combinations, trying and testing each blend before arriving at the final products. From this two-year process emerged Amaricano and Amaricano Bianca. Both delightful to drink on their own and also easily incorporated into cocktails.

As for the brand, the partners took inspiration from one of the founder's toe-dip in the burlesque world, with the same elegance, attention to detail and quip of fun in every experience. Fast Penny Spirits was built to empower and celebrate the support of the community. Community is a force for change, giving the strength and motivation to make bold moves. Whether it’s picking up burlesque in your late forties or starting a new company, it’s never something you go into alone.

Founder & CEO Jamie Hunt

A mostly Seattle native, Jamie is known for launching innovative digital products and experiences for global companies as well as seeking out delicious food and cocktails at home and on the road. In creating Fast Penny Spirits, she digs deep into her Sicilian heritage and love of amaro for a new American take on the spirit.

A life-long learner and traveler, trips to Europe helped spark her dive into the world of Amari. With a family history rich in making wine and liqueurs at home, Jamie set about concocting the recipe for Fast Penny’s flagship amaro, Amaricano — testing hundreds of brews and combinations. When she’s not mixing up flavors in the distillery, Jamie can be found spending time with her family: husband Jason, children Anya and Gavin, and Italian truffle-dog Fiori.

Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer Holly Robinson

Holly comes from a background rich in sustainable farming, hospitality and beverage. A life-long Pacific Northwest dweller, she can regularly be found oceanside digging for razor clams, as regularly as a mountain trail foraging for mushrooms. Wanting to work more with sustainability in food systems, paired with a drive to do better in her everyday career brought Holly to Fast Penny. Her background in the spirits world and love for hospitality sealed the deal.

In addition to Fast Penny, Holly was the co-founder of Captive Spirits Distilling and their well-known national brand, Big Gin. She lives in North Seattle, with her daughter.

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Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advice, opinions, and provocative stories that are helping to define the creative, culturally-necessary space of ‘modern hospitality’—covering topics from front-of-house service, to back-end business operations, and every inch between.