New Chicago Craft Distillery Opening

[Dolph Lundgren]

A new craft distillery is opening in Logan Square, Chicago. They plan on specializing in brown spirits, i.e. Whiskey, but will produce other spirits as well. Their whiskey is based on a "family recipe" from the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

I hope it succeeds, but I also fear that it could suffer the same fate as other craft distillers and make the same mistakes.

Here is the most recent write-up:

http://logansquarist.com/2013/06/03/chicago-distilling-company/

Of course, it doesn't address the bigger questions, like what do they specifically plan to distill (rye, bourbon, malt), how long do they plan to age, will they use large barrels, will the aging room be climate controlled, etc...

What do you guys think (Chicago people in particular)?

[omgmarclol]

i plan on walking down the street, rubbing elbows and getting in good with those guys.

[Jono]

It certainly raises a lot of questions.

How do two young guys finance and navigate the distilling license process?

The family background sounds like illegal distillation in the northwoods of WI...hmm.

Apothecary reference makes me think of various botanical type flavorings.

It is somewhat reminiscent of Koval.

Considering this is Chicago...nothing gets approvesd without a lot of ...let us say, greasing of the palm.

Good luck to them...they must have some deep pockets / investors.

A little WI bootlegger history

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004087.asp

Edited June 3, 2013 by Jono

[Dolph Lundgren]

It certainly raises a lot of questions.

How do two young guys finance and navigate the distilling license process?

The family background sounds like illegal distillation in the northwoods of WI...hmm.

Apothecary reference makes me think of various botanical type flavorings.

It is somewhat reminiscent of Koval.

Considering this is Chicago...nothing gets approvesd without a lot of ...let us say, greasing of the palm.

Good luck to them...they must have some deep pockets / investors.

A little WI bootlegger history

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/004087.asp

I share the same sentiments. A person needs a lot of startup capital (and grease) to get a distillery off the ground in this city. The article paints them as a mom-n-pop type shop, but who knows... I'll be trekking down there with Marc (its basically in my hood) to feel them out and see first hand what their distilling ethos is. Should be interesting.

[Danger]

I really hope they take off with some bourbon or single malts. I plan to be living in Chicago again in a few years and I fully expect there to be a distillery and a casino to go with the Goose Island breweries.

[brettckeen]

The main problem is aging. Whiskey needs to be aged in

I'm highly suspicious of "family recipes" they tend to be fostered in Indiana.

But good luck, a couple of dudes with money that have never distilled before, what could go wrong?

[squire]

I believe it could be made to work, may take more effort than they imagined but they are not locked into any specific products and have the flexibility to follow local market conditions.

[brettckeen]

I believe it could be made to work, may take more effort than they imagined but they are not locked into any specific products and have the flexibility to follow local market conditions.

You are right the local market could demand plenty of non bourbon spirits.

[mbroo5880i]

But good luck, a couple of dudes with money that have never distilled before, what could go wrong?

Oh nothing....pretty funny.

Edited June 6, 2013 by mbroo5880i

[omgmarclol]

The main problem is aging. Whiskey needs to be aged in [ATTACH=CONFIG]15620[/ATTACH] and not in [ATTACH=CONFIG]15621[/ATTACH]

brett, man, you gotta think outside the box. they'll be lake ging them!

seriously though, i wish them luck. i know koval has been hit or miss with their offerings, but i enjoy some of their bottlings. plus this is literally 3 blocks away from me, so it'd be rad to pop in every now and then.

[brettckeen]

I'm all for chicago becoming the new center of american whiskey. I just pray for quality from the micros.