Career Center, Career Files

From Civil Liberties to Distilling: Sandy Wood’s Inspiring Career Transitions

You really can do anything with your law degree!

By Jason Levin
on

“Going to law school opens plenty of doors,” as the old adage goes.  For Sandy Wood, J.D., co-founder of One-Eight Distilling, law school opened doors to entrepreneurship beyond anything he could have imagined. 

Born in Adelaide, Australia, Wood has childhood memories of watching his father run a small business in long range antennas and radios.  When his dad took breaks from work, Wood visited regional Adelaide wineries.  Wood fondly recalls, “I enjoyed making the connections between the wine makers and what was bought and consumed.  It was really interesting to get insights into wines and the wine making process.”

Moving to New York in the late 1970s, Wood attended high-school and dove into subjects such as history, economics, and anthropology.  He went on to major in English and minor in Political Science at Vassar College.  After Vassar, he interned at The Nation and ended up working for The Nation Institute, a non-profit doing civil liberties work for four years.  Wearing multiple hats in the organization, he did everything from organizing political-themed fundraising events affiliated with the magazine, to other types of political engagement.  

While this non-profit work was interesting, Wood was always thinking about his next step.  After a stint at an internet startup, Wood went to law school because he appreciated the rational thinking and arguments that legal training provides.  With an interest in civil rights, human rights and civil liberties, he enrolled in American University’s Washington College of the Law (WCL).  While at WCL, Wood became an editor on the human rights journal and participated in an academic program in South America, interning for a Chilean human rights organization.  

Following WCL, Wood clerked at D.C. Superior Court and then the D.C. Court of Appeals, enjoying the opportunity to work with judges on their opinions.  He went on to be a contract attorney for AmLaw 100 firms working on class actions and complex litigation. 

It was volunteer work at the Tahirih Justice Center, however, a non-profit that protects immigrant women from gender-based violence, where Wood found the unique opportunity to engage his legal skills and his interest in human rights.  He went on to spend four years at Kids in Need of Defense in D.C. and Baltimore, where he represented immigrant children in removal proceedings and coordinated training for private sector attorneys volunteering for KIND.

It was a casual conversation with a former neighbor that led Wood to another career crossroads.  The neighbor wanted to get a still to make whiskey in his backyard. The idea of distilling grabbed Wood like nothing before.  So motivated was he by the concept, that within 90 days of this discussion, he formed an LLC, developed a business plan, took a class on distilling, and began working with a commercial realtor to find a location for the distillery.  “Distilling brought the appeal of creating something like my dad did,” explained Wood.  “I loved the idea of making a product from start to finish.  The subject of whiskey is already a great topic, and I have had a long romance with the whiskey-making process.  Actually, my family from my father’s side is from Scotland.” 

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Wood was not ready to start a company himself, though.  As luck would have it, a close friend from college, Alex Laufer, was at a career cross-roads too.  With a background in science and bio-technology, Laufer loved the idea of distilling whiskey. It was the right idea, right moment, and the right set of complementary skill sets to form a partnership.

While researching the history of distilling in the District of Columbia and Mid-Atlantic region, Wood discovered that Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution called for the establishment of the District as the new nation’s capital. Wood wanted One Eight Distilling’s spirits to connect with that history and found this legal reference a unique way to connect his own legal background to the city and the distillery. 

“One-Eight” also has meaning for Wood’s Jewish business partner.  In the Jewish faith, 18 means “chai” or “to life”, which got his partner on board with the One Eight concept.  Finally, the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution established prohibition in America.  Wood enjoys the irony of creating a distillery against that backdrop. 

In addition to having a great name for a distillery, Wood believes his legal training is useful in this entrepreneurial venture.  He observes, “There is a complex regulatory environment in distilling, because of the federal government and the three-tier system overlaying local regulations and state laws.”  In addition to regulatory and compliance issues, there are plenty of contracts to negotiate.  Wood’s background in immigration law gave him experience with legislation, agencies, and plenty of administrative forms.  Distilling, he says, is no different.  Having legal training helped Wood understand when he could solve a problem or would need to hire outside counsel. 

2020 challenged Wood and his business partner in unexpected ways.  In March, 2020 Wood read an article about a distillery that made hand sanitizer using excess alcohol.  He thought perhaps One Eight could do this too. Within a week, they worked up a trial batch.  Making hand sanitizer was a natural fit, as it both made a social impact and provided work for the production staff. 

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Legal training once again became useful, as One Eight needed to register with the FDA to be recognized as a drug manufacturer.  To increase hand sanitizer production, One Eight received donations from local DC-based breweries such as DC Brau, Port City and Anxo Cidery.  As restaurants were closing, this collaborative element kept One Eight busy for several months.

Wood’s advice to attorneys is “Don’t settle!”  He explains, “if you are not really happy with your career, then take a few risks and try a few things.  It is important find something that is a better fit for you.”  “Entrepreneurship is tough,” Wood says, “but the adventure never gets old.  There is still so much change, and I find it constantly rewarding.”

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