Our Team
Camden Winkelstein
He/Him
Co-founder. Head Distiller.
Camden is passionate about making things. He spent seven years as a Navy Submarine Officer during which he helped commission the USS California. When he left active duty, he decided it was time to build something new. With a background in engineering and life sciences, and a long-time interest in craft beverage production, Camden decided to merge the two and dive into the distilling industry. He started with a trip across the pond where he spent a year in Scotland earning a Masters in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Training in Scotland inspired Camden to focus on single malt spirits. When he got back to the US, Camden jumped headfirst into business planning, honing his vision for Bellemara and then bringing it to life.
Favorite Cocktail: Whisky (neat), but for now the Master Splinter is fine.
Christina Lee
She/Her
Co-founder. Head of Marketing.
Christina’s journey to whisky was definitely not a straight one. If you had asked her 10 years ago if she liked whisky she would’ve said absolutely not. Fast forward to when she started dating Camden who slowly started introducing her to the wide range of whiskies out there. It took a few tries but eventually she found a few that she enjoyed and never looked back. As Bellemara was turning from an idea to reality, she studied the ingredients and techniques that different distilleries around the world use to create their spirits and became passionate about spreading this knowledge to others, believing wholeheartedly that there is a whisky out there for everyone.
Favorite cocktail: Bellemara Mule.
Faye Kim Johnson
She/They
Distiller. Cat Enthusiast.
Faye’s passion for all things food and fermentation led her to many different production floors (pastry, cheese, and beer, just to name a few), but nothing felt quite right until she stumbled into distilling. In 2016, she moved to Nashville to start her career in craft spirits. Through distilling spirits and concocting cocktails, she found the balance of art and science she was looking for and put her background in Food Science and Hospitality to good use. A quick online search for New Jersey single malt spirits led her to Bellemara Distillery, where she works the distillery and tasting room, badgers Camden daily for a distillery cat, and spoils the distillery dog, Islay, with plenty of cuddles.
Favorite cocktail: Beach Igloo.
Islay
Dog.
Islay (ai-luh), named after the Scottish island, is our beloved distillery dog. She was rescued in 2018 through SAVE Animal Shelter in Skillman, NJ (savehomelessanimals.org). She has big ears and lots of feelings. She spends most of her days lazing about in Camden’s office contributing very little to the distillery. She is a constant distraction to everyone but she’s so fuzzy-wuzzy that its ok. Despite her name, she can’t stand the smell of alcohol.
Favorite Cocktail: Water (neat).