Jen Schmunk, the proprietor of Grit City Distillery, which is setting up in Medicine Hat, poses beside a "whiskey helmet" component of a new still at the S. Railway Street facility on Thursday.--NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
Medicine Hat News
Andy and Jen Schmunk always enjoyed making small batches of beer and liqueurs at home. Taking time off to raise their two toddlers, Jen found herself researching the art, then browsing equipment on line, then building a business plan.
On Thursday they found themselves building a production line at their new shop on S. Railway Street in Medicine Hat. A day earlier a press conference announced “Grit City Distillery” vodka and gin will be available at the Canalta Centre this winter.
“I’m not a big drinker, which is the funny thing,” Jen said. “We’ve always wanted to go into business for ourselves, and I do appreciate the good stuff. We think the public will too.”
It’s happening very quickly now — the couple hopes to be operating in early October with equipment custom built in the Edmonton area.
Their production capacity will be about 300 litres per week, enough to fill about 400 bottles, measuring 26 ounces.
That will be hand bottled and sold at the shop, 380 S. Railway St., at the Canalta Centre, while another handful of liquour stores, bars and restaurants have expressed strong interest in adding it to their offerings.
The story is similar to those in the burgeoning craft brewing industry in the province, which bills itself a rebellious answer to mass produced brew.
They advertise small batch, high quality production with a local flair and nod to history.
Even the “Grit City,” Andy Schmunk recently told the News “is like Gas City, but with a bit more oomph.”
“Oomph” physically described as a gut-check, fist pump.
“A bit more grit,” explained Jen.
The craft distillery movement follows after lessened government regulations helped small brewers and the number of craft breweries in the province grow five fold over three years to about 80 today, including two in Medicine Hat.
At the same time however, the province lifted similar minimum production volumes for distilleries and the current field of about a dozen around the provinces is also expected to increase.
That’s where Grit City wants to be, selling at first locally produced traditional gin and vodka, along with flavoured variations of each — flavoured gin, which is novelty in Canadian marketplace.
They have contracted supplies of saskatoon berries and honey in the area, and arranging grain to come from a relative’s farm near Leader, Sask.
Juniper is the main ingredient in gin. Most vodka is made from cereal grain, not potatoes as is generally thought.
Whiskey and rum lines won’t be available to the public until late 2019 at the earliest — the standard is to age rum for at least one year, and whiskey at least three.
