April 2023

Building

As we’ve mentioned in other newsletters, Derek has been salvaging wood to repurpose in future construction. The boards are often riddled with nails, so he’s been taking time to de-nail them for future purposes. Slow work, but important for us to re-use as many materials as we can. 

As we get closer to pulling Montana building permits, we’re anticipating this stage of the process might take a few months. It’s essential we create detailed plans that map the foundation layout, fire suppression, plumbing, and electrical systems. From there, we’ll develop plans for a functional manufacturing space and a comfortable tasting room. 

It has been one year since we purchased our building - can you believe it?

Business

We have news on Senate Bill 209! The Senate and House passed the final language that 1) aligns hours with those of breweries (last call at 8pm and doors close at 9pm), and 2) increases the amount of bottle sales per person (which will positively impact our tourist and holiday sales). The bill is currently pending the Governor’s signature. 

We also have news on the Montana Growth Through Agriculture Business Acceleration Grant: we were fully awarded what we requested! This matching grant enables us to get a head start on whiskey production - we’ll be able to purchase Montana grains and different sized barrels so that our whiskey can age as we get everything else up and running. The grant also enables us to jumpstart our design process and work with local merchants to create, market, and sell merchandise sooner than we’d otherwise be able to. We are incredibly thankful for the support of Jess and Courtney of Headwaters Small Business Development Center. 

Speaking of our local community, we were invited to talk to the Dillon chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, a service-oriented honorary organization for women educators. The group put together a panel of organizations working to improve the community, from Jaycee Park to the BikeWalk SouthWest Montana. What an honor to be included!

Distillery

Earlier in April, Derek visited Far North Spirits in Hallock, Minnesota. The co-founder and head distiller, Mike Swanson, welcomed Derek into the manufacturing space, giving him a full tour of their facilities as well as a rundown of their processes and equipment choices.  All of that plus a ton of fantastic advice from Mike (and a few bottles that Derek picked up) made the trip more than worthwhile, even with the weather and road conditions. 

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