As a way to participate in the upcoming “American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition” exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in Michigan, local start up and craft distiller, Long Road Distillers has created a bathtub gin kit for consumers.
The museum will be exploring the Prohibition era with a special exhibit starting September 26, 2015 through January 17, 2016. American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, a world exhibition created by the National Constitution Center, explores those tumultuous years of 1920 to 1933, and why the country went dry in the first place. Prohibition’s advocates said that they wanted to improve the nation’s moral and physical health, and in some ways they succeeded. But the nation also endured a radical rise in crime, corruption, and cynicism. By the time it ended with the ratification of the 21st Amendment in 1933, America had become a very different country.
Long Road Distillers officially opened in June of 2015. The distillery didn’t have time to come up with a special concoction for the exhibit given the time required to get TTB approval so they came up with the next best thing, a DIY Bathtub Gin kit. Though making moonshine or any spirit at home is still illegal, this project is all legit. The distillery will be using their own Vodka and allowing buyers to simply add various botanicals of their choice to the Vodka. It’s all legit!
This is a clever way for distillers to participate in the community they live it and help spread the word about the products they offer. The kits will sell for about $50 with $5 of every sale going to the museum.
I love this quote from their website – true craftsmen.
Before we made the spirits, we made a decision. For us, it was a simple on, take no shortcuts…The result is an uncompromised lineup of spirits. Proudly served in the neighborhood we call home. We don’t source spirits, we source ingredients—the way it was meant to be done.
~Kyle VanStrien and Jon O’Connor
There is nothing wrong with sourcing spirits from other distillers and making it your own with blends, aging or barreling but, the folks at Long Road Distilling just chose to make it all their own. Awesome!
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Kyle VanSteien and Jon O’Conner Source Local Michigan Grains
