October 2022
Building
Derek has sorted the materials from the dismantled office space into reusable lumber, cool old things, and trash. Every day, it’s easier to envision the future tasting room.
We mentioned last month that we were invited to the second round for a Planning Grant through the Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund. We had a great presentation (Frank also made an appearance, as he refused to nap during that 10min window). We haven’t heard final word, so keep your fingers crossed. Check out our our final slide - I made it the last picture of this post.
We’re also still drafting our materials for a grant through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which will help us purchase energy efficient materials (insulation, HVAC, doors, windows, etc.). Thankfully, the deadline for our type of application will be in March, giving us plenty of time to pin down a specific materials list and find contractors to work with.
There was some leftover metal from the roof, which we donated to the Dillon Amateur Hockey Association to finish the warming hut at our local rink (see picture below). Locals, check it out next time you’re out by Chris Kraft Park.
Business
Earlier in the month, we met with the UM Western Capstone Consulting Team to talk about what will entice people to the tasting room. The team drafted a value proposition and outlined how the tasting room could offer multiple types of community gathering spaces (ex. renting out the mezzanine for a retirement party, renting out the patio for a college graduation celebration). We explored the historical connections we have to Dillon (our building, our name), and thought about how the tasting room (and tours) could be a chance to share that history with visitors to the area.
On a trip to Bozeman a few weeks ago, we were able to sit down with the owners of Dry Hills Distillery. Erica and Jeff are wonderful people and gave us a ton of valuable information and advice. Getting into the weeds about fire suppression, trademarks, bond insurance, and cooperages was incredibly helpful as we prioritize our attention and finances through the fall and winter.
Unfortunately, we were not awarded the Growth Through Agriculture grant we applied for. We are going to continue building ag partnerships (Montana grain growers, livestock operations to take our spent grain), improve our application, and try again for the next funding round.
In exciting news, this month we tipped the 100-subscriber mark on this newsletter (thanks Traves!). And, we have 174 followers on Instagram. Thank you all for your support on this adventure.
Distillery
We’ve been focused on distillery equipment this month:
We wired the down payment on our still and received serial numbers which will be essential for our permit and license processes
We bought an 8 gallon ‘test still’ for experimenting with recipes
Derek found a bottling system on the the ADI Forums (kind of the Facebook for distilleries). It traveled to Montana from New Jersey and will be what we use to fill our first bottles.
The job description for our head distiller is going through its last iterations - keep an eye out this month on social media for the final draft. Please send along to any distillers you know! And, we’ll share here too next month.
Katrina had a chance to visit Gulch Distillers in Helena, Montana two weekends ago. With attentive service and excellent cocktails, their tasting room is well worth the visit. She brought home a bottle of their Flying Anvil Single Malt Whiskey. Crafted with 100% Montana-grown and -malted barley and (this batch) aged 5 years, it is balanced, slightly sweet, and beautifully smooth.
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