Strathcona Spirits set to open to the public finally

Last December, Strathcona Spirits Distillery began producing its first two alcoholic spirits. But after facing many obstacles in getting the distillery operational, thee companystill facedits biggest hurdle of all.

"We were never allowed to open our doors to the public," distillery owner Adam Smith told CBC's Radio Active. "It was insane."

Smith said he and the rest of his team knew when they started the business at the corner of81stAvenue and 101stStreet they initially wouldn't be able to sell alcohol in thespace.

"Our problem in particular was that we were within 500 metres of a liquor store," he said. "The rule was they wanted to prevent the proliferation of liquor stores.

"We argued that this wasn't a liquor store in that sense."

That's all set to changeat 4 p.m. on Nov. 16.

That's when Strathcona Spirits will open its doorsand finally be allowed to sell itsvodka and gin.

Smith said his company argued with the city to change its bylaws, counting on that as a key to their business being a success. "We became a case study for why they needed to make changes, and they did."

Small building, 'tumultuous' history

At under 800 square feet, Strathcona Spirits is the smallest distillery in North America. But Smith saidalthough the space is small, the story of the business more than makes up for it.

"We are going to offer tours," he said. "But it's going to be a point-and-spin kind of experience."

Though not a long walk, the tour will offer an education on the equipment, which comesfrom as far away as Italy and as close to home as Wetaskiwin, Alta.

He said they will also talk about the company's struggle to produce like a normal distillery and the space's brief history as a music venue called the Baby Seal Club.

"It's a tumultuous history we have there," Smith said. "We want to share this and we want to be able to engage the community a bit more."

Smith also plans to talk about where the ingredients for the spirits come from. The grain they useis grown south of the city and the the sea buckthorn berry used for their ginis picked within city limits.

"We pick them in Terwillegar valley, down in the Southgate area," he said. "I was recently out on a meridian on 111th Street picking some."

The distillery'sopening likely has someEdmontonianseager with anticipation, but none more so than Smith and his team.

"It's been a long road," he said.

The distillery will be open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. The hours may be extended closer to Christmas, depending on how busy it is.

Listen toRadio Activewith hostPortia Clark, weekday afternoons at CBC Radio One, 93.9 FM in Edmonton. Follow the afternoon crew on Twitter@CBCRadioActive.