October 2025

Building

Locals have probably noticed the exterior improvements, including a roof on the awning, replacement windows for the original ones that had been boarded up, and patching multiple areas (we’ll paint them later). The finished window trim, door trim, and walk-up counter repurposes wood found inside the building. One update not visible yet: Derek framed the opening for the large door we’ll use on the manufacturing end. He’s working on refurbishing the partner door to the one we installed in the tasting room.

Now that electrical is run in the production space, Derek has starting covering the walls. We’ll use metal and polyurethaned shiplap to ensure it’s both functional and waterproof. Once walls and ceiling are complete, he’ll start moving in the still and other equipment we’ve been accumulating.

We mentioned last month that we had been given access to grocery receipts for Joe A. Browne. I said he was from Melrose, but I think he may have been of Twin Bridges. Below are the records of his purchases from April 1922 - it’s amazing to see what he was buying (and the prices). The first slide is the overview and subsequent slides are each of the dates he came into town.

Business / Community

Jesse Scofield has started on the lighting fixtures for the tasting room – he’s using an old piece of heavy sheet metal from the building. The patina will tie in beautifully with the room’s antique ceiling tiles.

We’ve selected Arryved as our Point of Sale system. They provide reasonable sales charges, synchronous inventory for in-person and online sales (so our website will always be real-time updated for merch, shrubs, and possibly bottles), and excellent customer service. Onboarding and setup will start shortly.

Distillery

This month, Katrina brought her University of Montana Western students on a study abroad trip to Japan. With her co-leaders, Laura and Nao, she enjoyed a variety of drinks, from convenience store caffe latte’s to matcha eggnog cocktails. It turns out that matcha’s seemingly ubiquitous popularity is more of an American phenomenon (and is having some issues). Laura visited the acclaimed Mori Bar Gran - it is now on the must-go list for any future trip.

Katrina had a chance to visit two sake brewery museums and learn how the fermented rice wine was/is made. She also tried shochu, a distilled Japanese spirit. Shochu is usually made with one type of starch (ex. rice, wheat, potato) and distilled in a single run at a lower proof (usually 25-35%), making it both distinctive and flexible in cocktails. It is served either neat, with cold water, with warm water, or on the rocks (rokku), all of which bring out different flavor profiles. Katrina’s favorite was sweet potato shochu on the rocks. Highly recommend trying it if you can find some in your area.

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