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Urban Distillery + Winery has made the move across the bridge and those involved couldn’t be more excited.
The popular distillery quietly and quickly made the move to its new home over the last few weeks, abandoning its home in Kelowna’s industrial district for a much bigger space along Hwy 97.
The craft distillery is now located at 402-1979 Old Okanagan Hwy, a location some might recognize as the old Sears building.
“We’re looking at almost five times the size of our old space,” Urban Distillery spokesman Steve Francis told KelownaNow.
“Our old space downtown was around 5,400 square feet and now we’re looking at around 25,000 square feet.”
With the increased space comes a world of possibilities, including increased production of spirits like their Spirit Bear gin, Spirit Bear vodka and Urban single malt whiskey.
Not all of that space will be devoted to the creation of more product, however, as the distillery also has plans for expanded services.
That includes a lounge space where people can sit down and relax while enjoying a tasting, a cocktail, some food and even some entertainment like a live band.
Francis says the move also allows Urban Distillery to become a part of the always growing Westside Wine Trail.
“We’re very excited about that,” he said. “This is a really nice fit because it keeps everything local and within the community.”
“You have a cidery over here on the westside, you also have a brewery and you have all these beautiful wineries and I think the (distillery) is going to fit in perfectly like a nice puzzle.”
The plan is to meet with dignitaries and other VIPs in West Kelowna to make the distillery’s inclusion in the wine trail official before inviting the community out for a proper ribbon cutting.
For now, Urban Distillery is very much open at its new location although there’s still plenty of work to be done on the new space.
There’s a temporary tasting area set up and display on hand, meaning people can try out and purchase the product.
Production has not yet moved to the new location, but Francis says once the stills, big kettles and everything else get moved in, it’s going to be a very excited time for the craft distillery as the visions start to take shape.
Those who visit Urban Distillery in the near future my not see the finished product yet, but they’’ll get a chance to “see a clean slab of the vision of what’s happening with Mike and Mark,” Francis said.
Eight years after opening in downtown Kelowna, the latest chapter of Urban Distillery’s story has begun in West Kelowna and if you’ve never paid them a visit, it’s the perfect time to do so.
For more information on their story, product and more, visit the Urban Distillery website.
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