The Alembic

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Today’s news is all press:

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/business_and_finance/local_montana/article_7100adea-b302-11df-88b3-001cc4c03286.html

and

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/business_and_finance/local_montana/article_2c24c5f2-b303-11df-8ffe-001cc4c03286.html

and

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100829/BUSINESS/8290305/A-spirited-endeavor-Microdistilleries-flourishing-in-Montana

How the hell do I post links? Frig.

Time to do a little work in the distillery.

Our day started with pleasantly cool temperatures and hot coffee. We were off to an early start with a lot of “must do” for the morning. Before the second cup of coffee was half finished, we had visitors.

Soon, they were on their way and so were we. Some fast shopping, quick cooking and lunch with KJ, Rich, Kristy and Riley. Our lunch friends came over to help us strip pound after pound of Artemisia pontica which will eventually be used for coloring absinthe. We bottled up a couple of cases of gin and finally had a drink around the fire ring to wash down the leftovers from lunch.

After our friends left, the rain came. It’s a nice way to end a day filled with a good bit of work and pleasant company. Santé.

Just kidding about the hell part. Ahem.
ridge 5.5×8.5 card

Kudos to my brother for the photography and building the whole damn thing. Thanks, Gunter.

A surprise contact and visit to Ridge Distillery from Montana State Representative Brady Wiseman and his wife Cindy made this day particularly enjoyable. The Congressman was instrumental in supporting and passing the legislation which made micro-distilling possible. More importantly, they are sincerely nice people that would be welcome back anytime.

Rep. Brady Wiseman, Jules and Cindy.

I think we’ve been waiting for about 18 months, give or take a little. It is very exciting but there are still challenges ahead and no time to sit back and relish the moment. (OK, we’ll do a little relishing tonight)

Now, we have to get the word out across Montana and keep a steady supply of Silvertip gin in our storage area. While the gin is doing its thing, we’re still anxiously waiting for a govt. thumbs-up on the absinthe formula. We haven’t lost sight of that as our primary goal. We have dozens of people to thank but today’s Kudos go to the store owners willing to risk some cold hard cash on Silvertip Gin:
Montana Liquor & Wine (that’s where the photo was shot) south of Kalispell.
BYOB Liquor Store in downtown Kalispell.
Crosscut Casino at 812 W 9th St, Libby, MT
and we believe
The Evergreen Liquor Store on HWY 2, east Kalispell.
If you stop by (buy?), be sure to thank the folks for supporting local spirit artisans. Without their help, we’d be dead in the water.
We’ve heard rumors of it hitting Bozeman, too but we don’t have anything concrete on that.

We should have fliers prepared for liquor store owners very soon. If you have a favorite, let us know and we’ll be sure to get them a little Ridge publicity.
Santé!

ADDENDUM: Montana just ordered 10 more cases of Silvertip Gin!

We have launched into production with a passion.   8 cases of  Silvertip gin yesterday and 5 more today are headed into their prospective boxes, waiting for the courier to deliver them to the state liquor warehouse in Helena on Thursday (or Friday).  Then we wait until liquor stores ask for their share to be delivered…that’s the way it works here.  If anyone in Montana visits their favorite package store, tell them Ridge Distillery’s Silvertip Gin will be available next week.  Now, how cool is that?

Julie Joe & Josh doing the bottling thing.

Julie & Mike getting in gear.

Father & Son workin’ the bottler.

A thing of beauty!

The last step: apply the labels and send them on their way!  Who’s ready for a Martini?  An Obituary?  A Monkey Gland?  What’s your favorite gin cocktail?

It has been a big week at Ridge Distillery. First, we passed the county health inspection with flying colors and a county license. Then, the Great State of Montana awarded us our State License culminated with the beautiful words, “I have attached your letter of approval. The original letter and license were sent out in the mail yesterday… HAPPY DISTILLING!” I love this state!

Top it all off with the arrival of Mike, Kristin & Jamie (photos to follow) and it would be hard to have a more perfect week.

We still have a ton of work to do (the absinthe formula is still working its way through the Federal regs) and some serious distilling but I’m pretty excited. At long last, I can say, “Stop by and try a sample or two. If you like what you taste, you can purchase a bottle of RIDGE SILVERTIP AMERICAN DRY GIN (for only $25.15)! W00t!

Everything is moving as it should even though the speed seems a little slow at times. We are making our way through the county’s requirements and they have been very helpful. More on that soon.

The BIG news of the day is our first label approval by the TTB. This is very exciting for me. Big thanks to our graphic artist, Gwydion. I love it!

New opportunities in education abound.  The last hurdle is satisfying the good folks of health and safety.  I get to learn about all the regulations the county must enforce and fortunately, the people in charge are patient to a fault.  And as the recent past has demonstrated, I have dear friends willing to help me out. (Kudos to Justin and his heavy equipment skills, this time)  Ridge will need a few more things and a few more approvals but it’s all moving in a timely fashion.   What’s another month or two or even three?  It’s all good.

Formula development is also moving along.  The most recent runs of the Absinthe Blanche and Verte show real promise.  I need to let both “rest” a little while longer, taste again and then decide if this is “it”…the final formula I submit for approval.  The last gin was wonderfully flavorful but that delicate balance went slightly askew and the product is a bit hazy.  Seriously, one more test run and I think I’ll have the gin formula I want.

Finally, the labels are coming along very nicely.  Our designer and good friend is thrilling me beyond words I can express.  Beautiful, detailed work that captures everything I ever imagined.  I can’t wait to officially launch the label work.  That will also happen very soon.  Patience.

Santé