Zebulon, North Carolina-based Next Century Spirits (NCS) announces the granting of two U.S. patents, marking a significant milestone in its mission to revolutionize spirits production. These patents protect groundbreaking technology that accelerates flavor transformation of spirits using natural ingredients, setting new industry standards for speed, sustainability and award-winning taste.
These patents solidify NCS’s technological edge:
- A U.S. Utility Patent for Spiranova, a proprietary process that rapidly enhances and refines spirit flavors by harnessing the essence of natural materials like wood, botanicals, and/or spices, while reducing environmental impact.
- A U.S. Design Patent for the Jupiter system, the engineered technology that drives the Spiranova process, ensuring efficiency, scalability, and consistency.
“For centuries, spirits companies generally utilized a slow aging process to achieve depth and complexity of its products. Spiranova changes that, using precise temperature, time controls, and other factors to impart wood and spice essences in a fraction of the time. The process also enables the removal or conversion of particular spirit components to create a more full-bodied product,” says Joel Pawlak, Next Century Spirits co-founder and a professor at N.C. State University who developed and engineered this breakthrough process. “When we set out on this journey, it was only an idea. Fast forward to today, it’s amazing to see this technology fuel an entire company and portfolio of brands.”
Today, the NCS Spirits Design Studio is at the heart of the company’s innovation process, where technology and expertise come together to create new-to-world spirits. With Spiranova at its core, a diverse team of PhD scientists, chemists, and flavor experts rapidly develop bold, market-ready spirits. The first new to world brand for NCS, Creek Water American Whiskey, moved from concept to shelf in just six weeks.
“At Next Century Spirits, innovation is in our DNA,” said Rob Mason, co-CEO of Next Century Spirits. “With Spiranova and the Jupiter system, we’re changing the spirits industry model. Through disruptive methods we can scale with the vision of redefining what’s possible in spirits innovation.”
With these utility and design patents, NCS has solidified its role as an innovator, setting new standards for spirit development and accelerating their path to market—shaping the spirits of tomorrow. To learn more, visit us at www.nextcenturyspirits.com.