On Sunday, May 25, Last Chance Distillery celebrated its first anniversary. A packed house enjoyed flights and festivities, featuring two new additions, Twist River Rum and Barrel Finished Gunn Ranch Gin.
In the May 23, 2024, issue of Methow Valley News, Ashley Lodato wrote about the opening of a new distilling business in Twisp, introducing its owners, Jeremy Idjadi, Brie Smith, and Tom Kelley and their products. Having limited knowledge about the distilling business and being extremely inexperienced with spirits, I visited the distillery to see how their first year had gone.
Washington state has a thriving craft distilling industry. What sets these small-batch producers apart are their inviting tasting rooms, distinctive seasonal blends, and locally sourced ingredients. Access to local grains, botanicals, spices, and clean water enhances the local flavor.
According to an article in Imbibe magazine, “It’s generally accepted that craft distilleries are independently owned, committed to transparency, use artisanal or hands-on methods, and typically smaller in scale than the major conglomerates who dominate the spirits industry.”
Making their products stand out by experimenting with grains, botanicals, and wood-aging has been key to the success of craft distilleries. Last Chance Distillery adds cultivating relationships with consumers, offering tastings with an educational component, and establishing collaborations with other local businesses to what’s helped them succeed in their first year in business.
Jeremy said he went into the distilling business because he was interested in the science involved, but what surprised him after one year was how much it was about the people, their customers, and being welcomed into the community. Brie found her niche in client education, marketing, and, along with Tom, using her discerning palate to sample and tweak emerging vintages. Jeremy cares about how people feel when they come to the Last Chance: He wants them to have a great experience and learn something.
While I was being educated about the distillery business, Brie and Jeremy related highlights of the past year. Tom popped in and out of the manufacturing area, checking on a batch of gin. Collaborations with other businesses, such as blending bourbon and rye in Lost River Winery wine barrels and supporting local events like the Balloon Roundup, the Little Star auction, the Schafer Museum, and the Trashion Show, were at the top of Brie’s list. Jeremy said his favorite part of the business was getting to know locals who became regulars and being integrated into the community.
All three owners gave reasons for why their business has thrived so far: consistency in their operating hours, producing excellent products, listening to their customers seeking a better way to serve them, and offering occasional novelties like cocktail nights and the Cache Series of vintages. Collaborations with events like the Twisp Art Walk and displaying local artwork have also added to their success.
The Cache Series has been a way to branch out into making more unique, individual products in small batches (less than 200 bottles). These are special vintages that are completely different, like a bourbon-barrel finished gin or a bourbon finished in an Old Schoolhouse Brewery Melatonin Stout barrel. The Cache Series is serialized. Consumers can go online for more details about the product. Made in small quantities, when they’re gone, they’re gone.
Brie said there’s room for more collaborations. She’d like to recruit local growers to grow some of their botanicals, especially juniper. Tom said it would be great to have a food truck parked alongside the Distillery.
All three partners said their first year in business has been a positive experience. “I’m delighted to be here and loving the people,” Jeremy said.
