A new micro-distillery — the first of its kind in Moose Jaw — could start producing gin, vodka and whisky with a 1920s prohibition-themed product line as early as May.
During its March 28 regular meeting, city council unanimously approved a discretionary use application from Brennan Hilbig for Luby Bower Distillery at 1300 Lakeview Road, adjacent to Highway 1 near Parsons Dietrich Pottery and the Peanut Hills Campground.
The proposed business would be inside a 288-square metre (3,200-square-foot) building, with 173 square metres (1,920 square feet) used for manufacturing and 115 square metres (1,280 square feet) used for office space and a tasting/retail space.
“It’s really great to see that this project is going to be built in Moose Jaw,” said Coun. Crystal Froese. “Micro distilleries are really on the rise, and we know here in our province that ones that are established in other communities have a strong following.”
City administration recommended the application’s approval since there is a low potential for area land-use conflicts, said Michelle Sanson, director of planning and development. The property is zoned as C3 vehicle-oriented commercial district, and in such districts, micro-distilleries are discretionary use since they could conflict with neighbouring uses.
The space that Hilbig plans to use for free taste tests and office space will be subject to council approval and must meet National Building Code regulations, Sanson said. He also plans to have future accessory buildings — shipping containers — on the property for additional storage but must apply for development and building permits.
City hall received Hilbig’s initial application last year but identified issues with the distillery’s building code occupancy class and existing fire flow capacity, she continued. He has provided an alternative solution to address those issues.
Sanson noted that several sections of the zoning bylaw describe criteria for reviewing discretionary use applications. In this situation, the micro-distillery meets those criteria.
In his letter to council, Hilbig said he had signed a five-year lease agreement with Southland Roofing for the building. With the approval of his application, he thought the business would start producing products by late May or early June.
The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Association (SLGA) has given Hilbig a permit to produce 100,000 litres a year. The product line will focus on gin, vodka and whisky, with some dedicated to a prohibition-themed lineup.
“Our goal is to build off of the already popular tourism attractions Moose Jaw has established,” he said.
The building has adequate power, natural gas and water and wastewater capacity, Hilbig continued. This includes an on-site septic tank waste system similar to comparable distilleries in Saskatchewan, such as Phantom Light Distillery in Prince Albert.
The distilling equipment is from a Canadian company called Revival Stillworks in Sidney, British Columbia. The equipment includes a 1,000-litre pot still with a whiskey head and a vodka column, two 1,000-litre fermenters and a 1,000-litre mash vessel.
“We are also arranging purchase of bottling and labelling equipment. For the whisky product line, we will be aging and storing the barrels in the building as our capacity allows,” Hilbig said. “We plan to produce 5,000 litres of whisky per year (and have an) age declaration and inventory rotation of three, eight and 12 (years).”
Whisky takes time to produce, so the business — which will employ five people — will focus more on gin and vodka, he told council during his presentation. Meanwhile, he had wanted to open the business downtown but found that the Lakeview Road location worked best.
“This is a long-time coming,” Hilbig added. “It’s been a two-year process for us.”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, April 11.
