Lee Katrincic is Durham Distillery’s co-founder and head distiller, or as we like to call him, our own resident Mad Scientist. Using a little bit of magic, a whole lotta science, and a big heapin’ spoonful of healthy curiosity, Lee spent night after night in the family kitchen, covering every surface with vials and beakers of his experimental concoctions – until he perfected Conniption Gin. Using locally sourced botanicals, Lee mixed and sipped and eliminated samples until he created the perfect recipes Durham Distillery uses today for our Gin and Damn Fine Liqueurs. He and Melissa then developed the vacuum distilled process unique to Conniption Gin.

And the cool thing is, Lee really is a scientist. With a BS in Chemistry from Penn State University, he went on to earn his MA from Lehigh University.

He spent the next two decades as Principal scientist at Glaxo Smith Kline and Catalent Pharma Solutions. His innate innovative spirit led him to develop instrumental techniques such as FT-IR microscopy, Variable temperature IR microspectroscopy, IR surface imaging, DRIFT, grazing angle FT-IR, and far infrared spectroscopy. We’re not entirely sure what all that is, but we do know that type of brilliance is what brought Lee
to developing award winning Conniption Gin and Damn Fine Liqueurs here at Durham Distillery.