Badwater Brands

Founder · Badwater Brands

Seth
Benhaim.

Seth Benhaim is the founder of Badwater Brands and the entrepreneur behind Infuse Spirits, Broken Barrel Whiskey, and Mainland Rum. Based in Los Angeles, he brings more than a decade of hands-on experience in spirits creation, blending, barrel selection, and brand building.

Seth Benhaim seated at a bar raising a cocktail
Seth Benhaim, founder of Badwater Brands.

01 · The beginning

Built by doing.

His work began in 2012 with Infuse Spirits, built around a straightforward idea: real fruit and spices, infused directly in the bottle. The brand grew from early experiments into a nationally distributed portfolio, giving Seth a practical education in product development, production, and the work of bringing a new spirits brand to market.

Seth holding a blue barrel of lemon peels beside Infuse Spirits boxes
Hands-on production with Infuse Spirits.
Seth inspecting a bottle on the Infuse Spirits production floor
Liquid development, with attention to every detail.

02 · An approach to oak

Curiosity.
Then craft.

With Broken Barrel Whiskey, that curiosity became a distinctive approach to finishing. Rather than relying on a single finishing cask, Seth explored combinations of barrel staves, developing the brand’s Oak Bill concept to make the finishing recipe as transparent as the mash bill. His work brought together oak and casks with histories in bourbon, sherry, wine, and other spirits to create layered whiskey profiles. In 2023, Broken Barrel was named Brand Innovator at the Icons of Whisky America awards, while its Cask Strength Bourbon won Best Kentucky Finished Bourbon at the World Whiskies Awards.

03 · Across American spirits

A founder’s
perspective.

Seth launched Mainland Rum in 2025 to spotlight exceptional rum made across the United States. Its early releases included single-cask rums from California and Louisiana, bottled at cask strength with an emphasis on provenance and regional character. The project extends his interest in discovering overlooked barrels and giving drinkers a clearer understanding of what is in the bottle.

Through Badwater Brands, Seth brings that founder’s perspective to other spirits businesses. His experience connects the creative decisions behind a liquid and its identity with the practical demands of developing, launching, and growing a brand.

Seth speaking at a spirits industry conference
Sharing experience with the spirits industry.

Conversations & coverage

In the press.

Seth and his brands have been featured, interviewed, quoted, or reviewed by these publications and podcasts.