Howdy, Michael Skubic here.
If you are reading this there is a chance that you know me from either Old Harbor Distilling, Hess Brewing, Point Loma, RHS, Redlands, San Diego, Rock Climbing, Surf Trips, Spain, or perhaps you just have an interest in Craft Spirits!
If you haven't heard of Old Harbor Distilling Company, we are a small independent craft distillery located in the fringe of downtown San Diego. We produce a couple of spirits at the moment: San Miguel Southwestern Gin & Barrelflag Navy Strength Rum. We have won a few awards for them during our time open, but more importantly, we have seen bartenders and home enthusiasts take a liking to it. Our bottles are continually depleted from back bars and store shelves. We take that as a good sign.
If you just want to stay up-to-date on the project. Donate a dollar and you'll also get a Bar & Barrel sticker in the mail ASAP!
Good news for people who love great news:
So why in Davy Jone's good name are we asking for help to pay for our bar & barrels‽
On October 8, 2015 Governor Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 1295 which allows craft distilleries in California to start making cocktails and selling up to 2.25 liters of alcohol to-go per day. We finally are getting closer to being allowed the same benefits that wineries and breweries have been given.
When I wrote the business model for Old Harbor Distilling Company it was 100% based off of distribution. No bar. No bottle sales. Just straight old school business models. Thankfully that has changed. Unfortunately my funding has not. We boot-strapped the start up of OHDC and we need some extra capital to get this bar going!
We are trying to bring California into the 18th Century!
Why does this matter?
If you want to have a fun place to come watch the sun set over the Central Library in East Village while taking in the scenic EVSD neighborhood in all its dirtiness and beauty. Do you want to have a chance to try spirits that would never otherwise come into existence? We need your help to accomplish the following goals.
What are we doing at the Sunset Bar?
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We are putting in some Timothy Steven's Designed Cocktail Cockpits so we can sling the fastest, most consistent cocktails possible.
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Kold Draft Ice Machine & A Scotsman Pebble Ice Machine
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Two additional restrooms (no one likes waiting!)
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36' live edge wood bar from Made Lumber Supply.
- The tallest back bar in the west (probably not, but it sounds cool.)
- Roll away fence with drinking rail (sounds complicated? It is.)
Old Harbor Sunset Bar is exactly what it sounds like. A bar that opens at sundown and stays open for a few hours afterwards. We can also host private parties. Marriages. Whatever! We just want to showcase how our spirits can really make a simple cocktail stand out.
Here is what we intend to do with the barrels:
We have lots of plans and goals at Old Harbor. Here are a few of the cool barrel related things up our sleeves.
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Single Malt & Single Barrel Project: we are going to be fermenting and distilling every type of single malt barley we can get our hands on. We will then be aging them in both new oak & used bourbon barrels. This is to see the effect that both the wood and the character of the malt has on the final malt whiskey.
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Mexican Heirloom Bourbon: our friends at Galaxy Taco are going to be nixtamalizing heirloom corn from Mexico for us to use as a base in our Bourbon. That's right. Black Corn, Green Corn, Red Corn. We are insatiable in our thirst for knowledge here at Old Harbor and we want to see how each of these different corns change the final product we all know so well. Eat your heart out Elmer.
- Barrelflag Rum: We have been making Barrelflag Navy Strength Rum for 6 months now. It took us 9 months to develop, but in that time we have put some in new oak and in used oak. It is amazing how the character of the spirit is changing. In as little as 6 months!
- San Miguel: We have also been aging our Southwestern Gin in used Mezcal barrel. We figured if we are going to make a Southwestern-style gin, how can we make it even more Southwestern. Oaxaca is about as SXSW as you can go in North America.
- Distilled Mead: Our friends at Golden Coast Mead have been partnering with us to develop a completely new spirit category. Distilled Honey Wine. Odin would be proud.
- Eau de Vie: Some eau de vie is made for drinking fresh, some is best when left to mellow in a cask for a couple of years.
And these are just the things I am comfortable talking to you about!
Risks & Challenges
The laws have quite literally just been written. Is there a chance that we won't be able to sell you direct whiskey? Probably not, since the laws state that we can. The only qualifier is that since we are selling entire barrels, we can only sell the "barrel" meaning the American Oak housing the alcohol on IndieGoGo, but if you want to pull the booze out you will have to pay a "bottle removal from bond fee" of $5 to actually take that sweet elixir home with you. Just know in the mean time you will have 250 beautifully designed vouchers from Caava Design / Clove St. Press to cherish at night. Just keep in mind the angel's are going to take their share. So the longer it sits, the most likely that 250 is going to be come 249... then 248.. etc... Those angel's like their whisky.
Am I qualified to do this?
This is not my first rodeo. I helped start Mike Hess Brewing Co (formerly Hess Brewing) back in 2009 when there were only 34 breweries in San Diego. I left MHBC in 2013 to form Old Harbor Distilling Co. It took me 2 years and a month from when I left Hess to open my doors to my friends & family on September 28, 2014. We had our first legal pours of San Miguel Southwestern Gin at Monkey Paw Brewery & Pub on November 19th of 2014. Exactly 1 year later we are asking for you help. I want to make an awesome bar for you and your friends to hang out at. I want to make unique liquors that we could never sell (profitably) through a distribution company.
If I seem like I am asking for more than I deserve, that is the truth, I don't deserve this. I just hope that you can see that we at Old Harbor are 100% genuine in our goal of making the best spirits possible at the fairest price to a consumer as we can.
If you are wondering why the Wholesale Whiskey is so much cheaper than the consumer level. Look into the Three Tier System in the United State. The Nobel Experiment and Gangsters caused that whole conundrum. More books have been written...
p.s. Please excuse all the typos. This was all accomplished in the last five weeks. With no sleep. And I am sick. And tired. But stoked. If some of these perks sound dumb. They are. We apologize. But not really.
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call me at 619.630.7048 or send an email to info@oldharbordistilling.com (for PR contact Bay Bird Inc.)
Other Ways You Can Help
Are you too young to buy booze? Don't like art? Just plain broke as me? Fear not!
Feel free to share this on your favorite social media platform. #OHbuildout #OldHarborDistilling #DrinkLocal
Fathom Something Greater.
