January 2023

Building

It’s been cold this month. When at the building, Derek is usually working in temperatures in the mid-20’s to low-30’s. Thankfully, during these past few days of negative highs, he’s had plenty of paperwork to catch up on at home. 

In the course of demo, Derek has found all sorts of old things - signs, bottles, feed bag stencils from local ranches. We love the connection to the people that have come before us and hope to integrate some of what we find into how we decorate. Keep an eye on social media for a picture of an interesting mysterious postcard Derek found in the walls. 

We’re talking with contractors for plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and structural work. From the ground up, we’re working to preserve the integrity of this post-and-beam warehouse while updating it for comfort and safety.

Business

We were thrilled to be invited to the Chapter AD of the PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization) Annual Fundraising Gala. To support their efforts in empowering women, Terminus donated a private tasting for six as well as a gift basket with custom shot glasses. What a wonderful evening talking to folks and giving back to our community. 

Between social media and this newsletter, you’ve seen a few glimpses at our base logo designed by local artist Birdie Hall. We love it. Next comes some work with a designer to get the font in place ‘just right.’ That will help us then create labels, merch, signs, and drinkware.

The 68th Montana Legislature is currently in their bi-annual session. We’ve spoken to representatives and are keeping a close eye on bills that could affect us as a new distillery in the state. This coming Thursday, the Senate Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs Committee will consider Senate Bill 209. The proposed bill would 1) bring opening hours to parity with breweries (last call would be 8pm but we could still be open for folks to finish their drinks until 9pm), and 2) increase the amount of off-site liquor sales (people could purchase 6 bottles instead of 2 to take home with them, which would especially impact tourists coming through and sales around the holidays).

Distillery

Katrina has been reading cocktail books cover to cover, learning more about the history, ingredients, and ratios involved in crafting delicious drinks. Two recent favorites: The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create The World’s Great Drinks and Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions.

Derek has been sipping on some fantastic imported spirits. First, the Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie, an unpeated Islay single malt Scotch whiskey, which he says is “my type of Scotch”. See picture above for the components and flavor profile of the batch our bottle is from. Second, the Del Maguey ‘Arroqueno’, a single village mezcal made from semi-wild maguey agave pit-roasted and prepared in the traditional way. Derek says it has a great mouthfeel and just the right amount of smokiness.

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