Nathan Flim is co-owner of The Fort Distillery
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A member of Alberta’s ag community plans to use local crops for his new business.
Nathan Flim, who also works as a crop inspector with Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, held a grand opening on Saturday of The Fort Distillery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. He co-owns the business with his wife Kayla.
Flim, who earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from King’s University, is the lead distiller. Visitors can enjoy vodka and gin at the 111 Street location. His team could develop whisky and flavoured vodkas, too, if an appetite exists for it.
Kayla looks after the creative side of the business.
Nathan reached an agreement with a local farmer to supply the grain for the distillery’s offerings. The wheat is cooked, fermented and distilled to create vodka. They’re also using malt from Red Shed Malting in Red Deer, Alta.
The pair use local ingredients, as they want their spirits to reflect the community around them.
“My wife and I live in Fort Saskatchewan and we really like the community here,” Nathan told FortSaskOnline today. “It’s a big enough city, but it still has that small town where it feels like a real community and we really wanted to be a part of that.
“We really want to use as many local ingredients as we can and be a good local company.”
Early reviews suggest the establishment could become a popular place to enjoy a drink.
“I was really impressed by the quality of the spirits. Highly recommend!” David-Brenda Paszek wrote on the distillery’s Facebook page.
Farms.com has reached out to Nathan for comment on using local ingredients in his spirits.
FortSaskOnline photo