managers, but it’s a lot of work supplying individual stores that run at su ch different paces – especially in the Ottawa area. What’s on the King’s Lock CV, as it were, at this point that makes you stand out to the more proactive managers? Have you entered any of your spirits in any provincial or national competitions? As far as awards go, we know the LCBO likes to see awards. We entered our 1000 Islands Moonshine into the 2017 Inter- national Spirits Challenge in London, England – it’s a very big competition. We brought home a bronze medal in our first year in operation. We were in the same category as Havana 3 Year and Angostura 5 Year – there were a lot of famous rums. That’s really what our 1000 Islands Moon- shine is: rum. It was all done by blind taste-testers and it’s now internationally-recognized. We’re pretty excited. Actually, the 1000 Islands Moonshine is really great with an artisanal ginger that we sell. You can make a Dark and Stormy with the Jack’s Gingembre artisan ginger beer that we carry and have that with pulled pork and beans. We’re actually planning a session here in November, a cheese and spirits pairing. A nice Caesar made with Walter Craft Caesar Mix, which we also carry, with steak and fresh vegetables is a really great pairing, too. We really believe that we have a product for everyone and that food pairings are a great way to find what’s best for you. Spirits are really coming into their own where people are starting to realize that it’s not about the quantity you drink. There’s more to the quality, sitting and enjoying a libation,
sipping it with a meal or cheese or dessert. There’s a lot of excitement behind people learning to do that the right way. You aren’t limited to wine or beer. What can the foodies and craft enthusiasts expect when they come to Johnstown in November for the cheese and spirits pairing event? We’re just closing-in on one year in operation, so we just came through our first summer. We’re in a fairly busy tourism region with the St. Lawrence River and we see a lot more traffic from June through September here than we do the rest of the year. But that’s not to say that it shuts down around here going into the Holiday Season. We’re doing Groupon tours and we’re getting a lot of calls about that. People are coming from Ottawa, which is an hour away – they’re starting to make it an adventure. We had three couples show up in a limousine for a 25 th Anniversary celebration. They were touring the wineries and breweries in the area and made us one of their whistle stops. They were fantastic. We took some photos together and I put them up on Instagram. For now, the three owners are the primary employees right now. We do get some help in retail; we had a summer student, for instance. We’re now looking at a co-op student for the fall term. We sometimes have friends and family help us out when we’re bottling and things like that, but for the most part, it’s me, my husband Rob Heuvel, and Joe Kelly. We are starting a transition towards something a bit bigger, but it’s worked well with the three of us.
Please visit klcraftdistillery.ca for more details.
49
NOVEMBER 2017 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog