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A trio of longtime friends, with a background in home brewing and home wine-making and a serious passion for spirits, are well on their way to entering the local craft distillery landscape.
Tom Bleakley, Ken Lee and Tony Grillo have founded Malahat Spirits Co., coming soon to the Miramar area.
Named after a once-legendary rum-running schooner, Malahat plans to utilize their 1,000 liter, two-column copper still to first craft a trio of rums - white, spiced and aged - that they intend to be as quaffable straight as when mixed in a cocktail. Bourbon and whiskey will be introduced after they've spent enough time in the barrel, and gin made with locally sourced botanicals is on the horizon.
They're hoping to have bottles ready by the end of the year, and Malahat also intends to give tours and provide an educational experience for visitors to their 4,700-square foot distillery; they've tapped Michael Soriano (Queenstown, The Pearl), to help provide the design and details for the space.
· Malahat Spirits Co. [Official Site]
