April 2025
Building
The Production Room walls are framed, sheathed, and insulated. We chose spray foam insulation because of its R-value. Next steps include putting up wall coverings, running conduit for electrical, and fully plumbing the space. Once the ceiling and walls are covered, the still and other distillation equipment can be moved into the room. Derek will interspace this work with framing out and roughing in the Small Tasting Room.
Locals, you’ll notice some subtle outside changes on the Virginia St. side: Derek has unboarded two original windows. He’ll uncover two more (and replace all four so they can open) as part of this ‘Phase 1’ construction. Soon, you’ll see more significant changes – installing our walk up window and a public door to the Small Tasting Room.
Business / Community
We were grateful to be invited to speak at Rotary this month. The last time we spoke was August 2022 - there has been a lot of progress since then! Attendees at the lunch were interested in what we’ll make (vodka and gin to start, as well as barreling whiskey so it can age), what our plans for Phase 2 will be (seating inside! But we first need a sprinkler system designed and installed before we can have people sit inside), and how we’re developing recipes (we can’t wait for your help fine tuning them).
Distillery
We have barrels! A mix of 30gal and 53gal, made by Black Swan Cooperage in Park Rapids, Minnesota. Something interesting to know: Black Swan also makes barrels out of specialty woods for achieving specific flavor profiles. While we’re not doing any of that in this initial round, it is something we may look into in the future.
The weather is turning (somewhat) warmer – time for a shift in cocktails. A perfect time for a Bees Knees, and we’re on the cusp of Derby mint juleps. Seeing the rhubarb start in the garden has us dreaming about a rhubarb shrub with vodka, a squeeze of lemon, and some sparkling water. We know better than to trust April in Montana enough to fully commit to coconut and lime cocktails, but on the few days the sun has won out, we've been known to sneak a peek into summer.
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