When Ron Gomes met Mike Rasmussen for the first time, he felt like he was “looking in a mirror,” he recalled. “It was scary.” The men don’t resemble each other in the slightest. However, they share the same aura of ambition: Both wanted to open the first standalone distillery in Delaware.
“The idea that we had, where we would set it up, what we would make, how we would make it—we immediately clicked,” Gomes said.
They’d been pursuing it on different tracks—Rasmussen was interested in the production end and Gomes was investigating the business mode. But their approaches complemented each other. So much so that on Nov. 8, they opened Painted Stave Distilling in the old Smyrna Theater on Commerce Street in downtown Smyrna.
Named after the curved wood pieces that form a barrel, the business has been offering $2 tastings of its first two products, Silver Screen Vodka and Candy Manor Gin, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The formal grand opening is the weekend of Jan. 10. (The public is invited.)
Pam George talks to the founders of Smyrna's new Painted Stave Distillery
Pam George talks to the founders of Smyrna's new Painted Stave Distillery
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Painted Stave is part of a small yet growing movement. Milton-based Dogfish Head Craft Brewery started Dogfish Head Spirits in 2002. It now makes about 40 cases of hand-labeled and hand-bottled liquor a week in the Rehoboth Beach brewpub.
“Demand is higher than our ability to supply in that limited space,” acknowledged Sam Calagione, president of Dogfish Head. “We’re looking to expand our distillery output significantly in the second half of 2014.”
In May, Delaware Distilling Company, a restaurant and craft distillery, opened on Route 1 in Rehoboth Beach. Products include wheat vodka, potato vodka, white rum, spiced rum and a gin. Come next fall, the restaurant will undergo renovations so diners watch the distilling operation behind a glass wall. (Currently the still is cloistered in the back.)
The spirit behind the spirits
For Calagione, the distillery was a natural extension of the craft-brewing business: There’s a crossover between people who enjoy exotic beer and exotic liquor, he said. “People are trading up to more diverse spirit choices, the same way they are doing with craft beer.”
Zack King, owner of Delaware Distilling Company, intended from the start to open distillery in Old Bay Steakhouse, located in the former home of The Roadhouse Steak Joint.
But it wasn’t until all the permits were in place that he changed the name to Delaware Distilling Company. Not only does he serve the products in both the restaurant and his other eatery, Port Dewey, but he also bottles it for sale in more than 100 liquor stores in Delaware, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Gomes was introduced to the business while studying bone metastases at the Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey. A colleague, who was into craft spirits, asked him to be a partner in a distilling business.
Gomes—who had some home-brewing experience—explored the business side of distilling. The opportunity didn’t pan out, but his interest remained. “I wanted to see how I could apply my scientific background to it,” he said.
Rasmussen, who was previously in the education and nonprofit sectors, made beer and wine as a college student. Then he noticed craft spirits in stores, and read articles about the trend. He traveled to craft distilleries to explore his emerging passion and took workshops. (The Northwest coast and Colorado have a high number of craft distilleries.)
A mutual friend introduced Rasmussen and Gomes, who relocated to Delaware to start Painted Stave. Gomes is no stranger to the Small Wonder; he did post-doctoral work at the University of Delaware.
Lights, camera, action
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The partners wanted to be close to routes 13 and 301, as well as I-95. They also wanted to be near home. (Rasmussen lives in Newark and Gomes lives in Middletown.) Most available spaces were in industrial parks. The Smyrna Theater was one of the first alternative buildings they toured.
When it first opened in 1947, the 6,300-square-foot theater was a marvel. It closed in 1975, after a showing of “Jaws.” The building was briefly a concert hall and then a heating and plumbing store. The seats and projector were gone; the second floor became offices.
To open Painted Stave, Gomes and Rasmussen lobbied for changes in the law. That’s not unusual. Both Nassau Valley Vineyard and Dogfish Head faced legal obstacles before opening, and their effort to change legislation set precedents. In 2012, a bill signed into law allowed standalone distilleries to produce up to 750,000 gallons a year.
The partners also sought rezoning for the operation, and happily, the town obliged. “So from highest state levels all the way down to the local level, we’ve had a wonderful outpouring of support and help,” Gomes said.
The building underwent extensive renovations in January. Certain remnants of the theater remain, including the painted ceiling and wall sconces. The neon “Smyrna” sign, found in storage, is now on the front of the building.
The primary still is a newly purchased Vendome Copper & Brass Works product. A cobbled together still, designed by Rasmussen, was nicknamed Sandy, since parts were purchased in New Jersey after the super storm.
An old soda fountain space is now the tasting area. T-shirts, including a depiction of a stitched-together yet comely Sandy in female form, line one wall. There’s also a corner product display. A lobby between the tasting room and the actual distillery, the old theater, is an art gallery/event space.
Honing a craft
The term “craft spirits” refers to the small batch amount of liquor produced. It also refers to the style. “You can be pretty creative right off the bat,” Rasmussen said. The tasting room lets them immediately judge customer reaction before offering a retail product.
Not surprisingly, Dogfish Head’s spirits are prime example. Consider its Wit Spiced Rum, a triple-distilled rum aged with Curacao orange peel and coriander. Brown Honey Rum, a double-distilled amber rum, is made with honey and aged with American oak chips.
Painted Stave is embracing the local approach, another reason why Smyrna was idea. It’s situated near Delaware’s heavily agricultural area. Delaware’s state herb, Sweet Goldenrod, is used to make Painted Stave’s Candy Manor Gin. The distillery is working on a vodka infused with espresso from The Young Bean, a Clayton coffee shop.
Rasmussen says there are six different gins. Most people are familiar with London dry gin. Candy Manor, however, is an American-style gin, which highlights botanical ingredients other than the required juniper berries.
He and Gomes are eager to explore barrel-aged spirits, including corn whisky and bourbon. (Even vodka can be aged.)
Painted Stave takes an equally creative approach to its products’ names. Silver Screen Vodka’s connection to the theater is clear. Candy Manor Gin stems from local lore. As the old-timers tell it, Candy Manor was a candy shop where customers could purchase a sweet—and a sweet from a sweet. The shop doubled as a brothel.
Delaware Distilling Company has until now stuck to its company name. Future products might have a brand name—“but nothing too crazy,” King said.
Cultivating customers
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By now, most Delawareans are familiar with craft beer. They’re also acquainted with wineries, in Delaware and in nearby Chester County, Pa. But craft spirits?
Gomes acknowledged that gaining space in liquor stores is challenging. Putting Painted Stave on the shelf means taking another brand off, he said. And restaurants might not be inclined to push a local product over Absolut or Tanqueray.
Painted Stave plans to raise awareness with tours and community activities, including hosting lunch during the 2014 MidAtlantic Wine & Food Festival in May. “One of our personal goals is to introduce people to more interesting spirits,” Rasmussen said. “Our goal is getting more people to come into building.”
When it comes to new distilleries, the more the merrier. It will only help increases awareness. Said King: “The more craft distilleries in our regional area, the better.”
