Established in Raleigh, NC in 2018, Next Century Spirits blends together traditional techniques and unique finishing technologies to create enhanced distilled spirits. Our patented post distillation filtering and finishing technology creates a tool for the traditional distiller to expand their repertoire of achievable flavors and aromas while improving quality, maintaining consistency, and reducing supply chain issues. This technology allows for tight control over the entire production process, resulting in the ability to create bold and unique flavor customization options for brands to choose from in order to expand product portfolios and fulfill market needs.
Joel (Pawlak) Co-Founder and VP of R&D grew up on a farm, splitting time between working the land and taking apart bicycles to see how they worked. In college he went for engineering, but never lost his love of the land; when the opportunity arose to become a paper engineer, he jumped at the chance. The concept for the Next Century technology arose from these interests as well as his love of whiskeys.
Joel had had a casual conversation with a friend who is prominent in the spirits business about the huge need for technology to improve processes and scale manufacturing, and he started to sketch ideas on paper. When he talked through those ideas with Scott (Bolin) Co-Founder and CEO (they had worked together on other projects and were actually in the process of setting up a lab), he was interested. The team prototyped and iterated, improving every time, eventually generating very high-quality products. “That is when the stars began aligning.”
The company’s patented filtering and finishing technology was born out of North Carolina State University, a land-grant university known for its contributions to the sciences. Co-Founder of Next Century and chemist by profession, Joel Pawlak, discovered the proprietary finishing technology’s ability to create bold and unique flavor profiles. The technology allows Next Century to provide up to 6,000 gallons of spirits to bulk labels at once. Alternatively, Next Century works directly with private labels and brand identities to create custom distilled spirits.
Rob Mason is the Co-CEO of Next Century Spirits after previously serving as the company's Chief Operating Officer. Rob brings a unique view in the spirits industry with over 20 years of experience in global marketing for consumer brands represented by Beam Suntory, Diageo, and Procter & Gamble. Rob has led some of the world’s most iconic spirits brands, including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Knob Creek, Crown Royal, and Johnnie Walker, among others. He brings a breadth of global spirits experience having lived abroad in Geneva, Switzerland and managing Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark at the global level. Aside from consistently delivering against business goals, Rob is known for his expertise in brand management, brand strategy, and innovation. Rob holds a BS from Miami University in Oxford OH and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Rob currently lives in Deerfield, IL with his wife Emily, two children, and their Golden Doodle.
Anthony Moniello is the Co-CEO of Next Century spirits and focuses heavily on the sales, marketing, innovation and PR for the business. Anthony stood up the Next Century Brand Group, a new division primarily focused on the marketing and sales of Next Century owned brands and key partnerships. In parallel, Moniello overseas the management and expansion of distributor relationships with an emphasis on creating bespoke RTM strategies that fit each brand. Prior to joining NCS Anthony worked with Diageo for nine years in several leadership roles across sales, marketing, and consumer planning. His successful track record deploying brand activation and field marketing activities for innovation brands like Creek Water and industry stalwarts like Tanqueray Gin, Johnnie Walker, Captain Morgan Rum, and Don Julio Tequila has helped him create and implement an explosive, sustainable growth model for NCS. Anthony currently works out of the NCS corporate office in Fairfield, CT and lives in town with his wife Ashley and their two sons, Dominic and Christopher.
Tom Spisak joins New Century Spirits after over 3 years with Reed’s Inc where he served as Chief Financial Officer. During his time at Reed’s, he played an important role in bringing more financial discipline, establishing key banking relationships, and guiding the company during a challenging, macro-inflationary environment. Prior to joining Reed’s, Tom provided financial leadership, including extensive expertise over a broad range of finance functions during his 26-year tenure in the North America region of Diageo, a multinational alcoholic beverage company with net sales over UK £12.9 billion (U.S. $16 billion). Tom held numerous positions in multiple divisions of Diageo, most recently serving as Vice President of Finance and Controller of North America. Previously, he held positions of Vice President of Commercial Finance, Director of Business Performance and Senior Finance Director of Marketing and Innovation Decision Support, as well as other roles in finance. Prior to Diageo, Tom served at International Masters Publishers, Inc., a private company with publishing activities in 35 countries. Tom holds an MBA in International Business from Fairfield University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Rhode Island.
Joel Pawlak is a Co-founder of Next Century Spirits. An NC State University Associate Professor of Forest Biomaterials, Dr. Pawlak’s research interests include the creation of new materials from forest resources using physical and biological manipulation of the polymer structure, and he has received a number of awards for his research. During a 2009 scholarly leave to UNC-Chapel Hill, his work resulted in an interdisciplinary graduate program of study between the Forest Biomaterials and Microbiology departments at NC State University. He is a recognized expert in the field of paper physics and has served as a private consultant for more than 20 companies. Dr. Pawlak currently resides in Raleigh with his wife, Leslie, and three children.
Arjun has held senior roles in corporate legal, compliance and risk management departments. His positions have included: global chief compliance officer, chief risk officer and executive committee member. He has practiced law at a large U.S. law firm, and in-house at large pharmaceutical companies.
As Vice President of Sales at Next Century Spirits, Steve Gordon brings over 20 years of experience spearheading sales teams to consistently achieve and surpass revenue goals. With a proven track record of building strong relationships across all facets of the business and developing innovative sales strategies, he is dedicated to the growth of the NCS’s portfolio and the company’s long-term ambition of being a top 10 Spirits supplier in the U.S. Steve currently lives Flower Mound, Texas with his wife, Nina, and their two daughters.
Adam Cook serves as Vice President of Operations for Next Century Spirits. Over the last 15 years, Adam has held several leadership positions in a variety of strategic operational and supply chain roles with Beam Suntory. Adam has led major operational implementations, overseeing global supply chain activities and strategy across several commercial spirits portfolios, including but not limited to the integration of production from multiple facilities and from the acquisition of brands such as Pinnacle vodka, Cruzan rum and Calico Jack rum. In his role as VP of operations Adam manages our centralized distribution while continuously driving process improvements in the areas of forecasting, demand planning, supply planning, inventory management and launch management, while implementing and optimizing complex ERP and S&OP and 3PL projects. Adam is in the process of relocating from Kentucky to Raleigh with his wife Kayla and their four children.
Amanda Blanco is the Vice President of Brand Marketing at Next Century Spirits, where she leads the development of the brand portfolio and drives creative direction. With 25 years of experience across global corporations, family-owned businesses, startups, and nonprofits, Amanda is recognized for her innovative, resourceful approach to building brands in both high-growth and lean environments. Her expertise spans brand and commercial strategy, communications, consumer insights, and digital campaigns. Amanda has driven brand growth for Metallica’s BLACKENED Whiskey, Jägermeister, and HEINEKEN USA, achieving results through creative problem-solving and strategic leadership. Passionate about blending creativity with strategy, Amanda extends her marketing expertise to nonprofit organizations, supporting initiatives for the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, Career Resources, Inc., and the New Canaan YMCA. She holds an MBA in Marketing from Pace University and a BA in Economics and German from Bucknell University, with advanced training from the EncoreCT program at the UCONN School of Public Policy. Amanda’s balance of vision and execution continues to position Next Century Spirits for success.
Shari Baxter is the Vice President of Beverage Development at Next Century Spirits. She leads product development and manages strategic relationships with customers, suppliers, and other partners in the spirits industry. Shari brings over 15 years of experience in spirits beverage development. Prior to this role, Shari lead R&D/Beverage Development for both Coastal Pure Beverages and Green River Spirits Company. She has worked in R&D at Beam Suntory and also led the adult beverage private label brands for Sam’s Club. Shari holds a Ph.D. from University of Maine in Food Science. When she is not at work, Shari enjoys spending time with her husband Dustin, three children and two dogs.
