66 w e s t w o r l d | S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 ali lauren creative services
C
olin and Meredith Schmidt
decided to leave their banking/
finance careers behind in 2008
to raise a family. ey wanted to start a
business that would let them work
together and have their kids close by.
A friend who had started the first
microdistillery in Colorado 20 years
earlier suggested they follow his lead.
"We were at a point in our lives
where we wanted a change," Meredith
explains. "[We thought] whisky in Sas-
katchewan could work."
ey started the distillery in the
garage of their Lumsden home, selling
their premium vodka at farmers' mar-
kets and through private liquor stores.
Since then, they have added a chili
pepper-infused spicy vodka and a
honey-cinnamon liqueur, as well as
rum and whisky – all made from Sas-
katchewan grains, including rye grown
just eight kilometres down the road.
In March 2013, Last Mountain Dis-
tillery moved into a new 5,000-square-
foot facility. e timing was perfect. A
restaurant had asked them to make a
dill pickle-infused vodka to use in
Caesars. e result became a runaway
hit throughout the province, and the
Schmidts wouldn't have been able to
keep up with the demand in their
home-based operation.
Better still, in early 2014, Last
Mountain's Private Reserve Whisky
was named 2013's Best Sippin'
Whisky (Domestic Market) at the
Canadian Whisky Awards.
lastmountaindistillery.com W
Visit Last Mountain Distillery on Hwy.
20 in Lumsden to sample and purchase
their products, and for scheduled tours.
by the way
Mountain
Mash
by Joe Wiebe
