More booze in the barrel: Alum’s invention solves spirits industry problem

During the Jameson Distillery tour on a vacation to Dublin in 2019, Jeremy Grunewald was captivated by the guide’s admission that thousands of bottles of whiskey are lost each day due to evaporation and cask leakage. For the chemical engineer who had worked in the roofing industry for a decade, it was an aha moment. He began to wonder if the technology behind the specialized coatings and sealants he used to make a roof watertight could be used on whiskey barrels. 

Grunewald, who graduated from FIU’s College of Engineering & Computing in 2022 with a master’s degree in engineering management, is now founder and CEO of Devil’s Cask. The company produces a patented clear coating known as SpiritLock Technology, that provides vapor protection — reducing evaporation and barrel leaks — when applied to the outside of a cask. It can be used for any alcohol that is aged in a barrel, including bourbon, rum, tequila, cognac and even some wines.

Grunewald credits FIU with his ability to start a new business and take his product from conception to the marketplace. It was a process that gained momentum during his business and entrepreneurial class after he returned to FIU from his Ireland vacation.

“Everyone in the class was told to pitch ideas for a business. After I presented my idea, it was chosen as the class project,” he says. “My background with similar products and in the laboratory meant that I understood how to work on different formulas, but I didn’t know a whiskey from a bourbon or a scotch. And I had never started a company before. The whole class got to work.”

In addition, an FIU project management class helped him develop a timeline and tracking method for the start-up, a law class assisted with the patent application process and finance classes taught him more about raising funds.

“You learn every aspect of starting a business through this program,” Grunewald says. “And you can structure your curriculum the way that will benefit you best. If you have the courage, the time and FIU at your side, starting a company is totally possible.”

Devil’s Cask launched in 2020 and has already received international industry attention. In 2024, it was named the grand winner in the Distilled Spirit Council’s (DISCUS) Innovation Showcase competition. The Showcase highlights products that “are set to shape the distilling landscape and ignite a fresh wave of inspiration,” according to the awards presenter.

When Grunewald received the award in California, he was surprised to be congratulated by a familiar organization. FIU’s Bacardi Center of Excellence, part of the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, was the only university to have a presence at the showcase.

“The partnership between Bacardi and the Chaplin School is designed to bring industry and academia together to ensure that students who are going to become the future leaders in hospitality receive a broad and real-world education in beverage management, fine spirits, industry innovation, sustainability and entrepreneurship,” says Mitchell Meredith, beverage program manager of the Bacardi Center of Excellence and an adjunct professor with the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.

“Jeremy is a wonderful example of a student who saw a problem and developed an innovative solution,” Meredith says. “Depending on the region and climate, a distillery can lose up to 40 percent of the spirit due to evaporation in the barrel. Now, they can improve their yields, maintain a quality product and be true to their brand.”

In barrels coated with SpiritLock Technology, studies performed by Devil’s Cask showed that there was a one-third reduction of spirit loss, resulting in up to 20 percent more proofed bottles. Another test showed that even after sitting unfilled in a hot Texas climate for eight months, the coated barrels swelled properly upon filling and remained watertight in comparison with uncoated barrels that needed extensive repair before use to remain watertight. The product is FDA-compliant.

Since meeting the Bacardi Center of Excellence team at the Showcase, Grunewald has begun working with Bacardi on a barrel aging and testing project in Puerto Rico. He has found the industry — known for its hundreds-year-old traditions — receptive to his new technology.

“I’ve always been a driven, aspirational person, but I would never have thought five years ago that I’d be where I am today. The experience has been completely unique. It’s been a wild roller coaster for sure,” Grunewald says.