The Big Moment is Here: Permit in Hand and First Whisky in Sight!
- Martin McNicoll
- Nov 3, 2024
- 2 min read
Hello everyone,
On this November 2nd, the team here at the Distillerie des Cantons de l'Est is absolutely buzzing! We are finally reaching our ultimate goal: we will begin distilling our very first whisky in just two weeks!
The Official Green Light
The big news is that we have officially received our distillation permit from the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ). We are incredibly proud to have successfully navigated all the administrative steps to prove that we are ready and capable of making a great whisky.
Now, everything is in place. We have our own grain, our equipment is tested, and all the ingredients are gathered to start distilling. We cannot wait to get our hands dirty and get to work!
The Rackhouse: A Massive Challenge Almost Complete
Meanwhile, work is progressing very well on our final building of the year: our rickhouse (the building where we will store all our barrels). Construction is almost finished, and we expect everything to be completed by early to mid-December.
As we've mentioned before, the true complexity of this building lies in its fire protection system. To run the sprinklers, we had to integrate a massive 150,000-gallon underground water tank. This made the building far more complex than we initially anticipated.
Out on the site, we are currently at the final stage before closing up the concrete partition. We are coating the inside of the basin with epoxy to ensure that water doesn't seep through the concrete over the years.
The next step? Fill that basin with water, close up the building, and start moving in our very first barrels!
See you very soon for that first drop of whisky!
Martin
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