New distillery vying for spot in downtown Kamloops

A new distillery producing gin, vodka and potentially whisky is planning to open in downtown Kamloops.

Earlier this week, Kamloops city council decided to endorse Kamloops Stills Co. at 501 Lansdowne Street on the ground floor corner of The Hive, a recently completed commercial building located at the intersection of 5th Avenue and Lansdowne Street.

The property is 1,507 square metres in size and zoned in the Central Business District which permits an alcohol manufacturer's lounge, according to a staff report that was presented to council, Oct. 18.

READ MORE: Downtown Kamloops restaurant owners closing doors and saying goodbye

Kamloops Stills Co. wishes to include a distillery production room, a retail area, an indoor lounge area and an outdoor patio at the property.

The retail area would sell spirits made on-site for off-site consumption and sell non-alcoholic products such as tonics and branded merchandise. The site would allow for a maximum of 99 patrons, 75 indoors and 24 on the patio.

The proposed hours of operation are from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Council approved of the proposal and also approved a resolution in support of the distillery to the B.C. Liquor and Cannabis Branch. The distillery’s application will still need to be approved by the branch before it can operate.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.