PEMBROKE – A Beachburg entrepreneur recently announced he will be opening a distillery in Pembroke.
O’Kenny Craft Spirits will use locally grown ingredients to produce craft spirits. Andrew Kenny of Beachburg has purchased the property at 2 International Drive and has big plans for the location.
Renfrew County farmers have traditionally shipped their highest quality grains down to Southern Ontario to large multi-national corporations at a discounted price because of the high transportation costs. High value grain products like spirits are then shipped back to sell to Renfrew County consumers. Recent changes by the Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario make it possible for small distilleries to open and produce spirits. The regulations are still prohibitive, but O’Kenny Craft Spirits will take this opportunity to build a distillery to produce Renfrew County spirits with Renfrew County crops.
Value can be added to our crops right here and create jobs and grow the economy, Mr. Kenny said.
Reuben Stone of Valley Bio in Cobden has agreed to process and supply O’Kenny Craft Spirits with the high-quality grains needed to produce the very best vodka, whiskey and gin and will support other farmers wishing to sell their highest quality crops to the local manufacturer. Research into malting grains locally and growing sugar beets for O’Kenny Rum started in 2018. Malting the grain increases the value tremendously and there is a big demand from craft brewers who are desperate for malted grains that come from small craft malters. Local sugar beet production will begin this spring with test crops and fermentation experiments are planned for the spring as well.
Forestry businesses are enthusiastic to join the efforts by supplying the quality oak and maple needed to age O’Kenny whiskies and rums.
Pembroke Mayor Mike LeMay said, “We are delighted to have O’Kenny Craft Spirits open in Pembroke. This new business will not only serve the people of the Ottawa Valley but also provide an attraction for visitors to the area. With the prime location just off Highway 17, we are excited to see what Mr. Kenny does with the property to welcome residents and visitors.”
The former Welcome Centre is being converted into a tasting room and event/meeting venue while planning construction of the new distillery building on the site. Opportunities are currently available to any local producer wishing to sell their products in the tasting room alongside the O’Kenny spirits. Anything from food to furniture would be welcomed. Advertising opportunities are also available for local tourism operators and restaurants and bars. Inquiries should be emailed early to reserve shelf space, wall space or floor space.
Mr. Kenny, owner of O’Kenny Craft Spirts is excited to partner with local unique tourism operators to design the ultimate distillery experiences for visiting tourists and our local patrons. Two quality hotels are walking distance from the distillery and multi-day vacations incorporating ATV tours and fishing are being considered.
To avoid adding a new restaurant to an already competitive market in Pembroke, O’Kenny will partner with many restaurants and caterers to provide food for their hungry visitors.
The distillery construction starts April 2. but the finish date is not determined yet.
Until the distillery is operational at 2 International Drive, O’Kenny will be producing spirits with their friends at Last Straw Distillery in Concorde, Ontario in small batches. They began mashing the O’Kenny Incubated Vodka on January 7 and distillation is scheduled in the coming days.
O’Kenny began production of its single malt whiskey on Jan. 14, but it will not be available until it is aged for at least three years.
The limited edition vodka can only be released to licensed bars and restaurants. They are limiting sales to only Renfrew County licensees. Patrons are encouraged to get out to their local establishment to sample the preview of Renfrew County’s first spirit and give their feedback directly to the distillery. This premium vodka is produced with 100 percent malted barley. Lower priced ingredients such as corn or wheat were not considered for this O’Kenny Vodka, so essentially it is a single malt Vodka designed to be smoothest Vodka available. Production time is limited at their host’s facility, so supplies will be very limited.
The addition of a distillery to the economy allows area farmers and foresters to add value to their products and the result will be a quality spirit they can offer to their friends and neighbours. Renfrew County consumers will decide how well the distillery succeeds and how much it will benefit the local economy. For every person employed at the distillery there will be several employed elsewhere to support the distillery. The volume of sales will determine the number of people employed to produce O’Kenny Craft Spirits.
More information on O’Kenny Craft Spirits is being added to its website at OKenny.ca.
