BARRHEAD - Richard Bogach's plan to open a tasting room for White Lightning Distillery cleared another hurdle.
On June 3, County of Barrhead municipal planning committee members voted unanimously to approve White Lightning Distillery's application to add a tasting room to his craft distillery.
In addition to the tasting room, which will be located in the existing distillery Quonset, the application also includes the construction of a washroom facility adjacent to the main building.
Conditions for approval included notifying adjacent landowners and obtaining all the required approvals from the province. The distillery must also follow and obtain all the necessary approvals under the Alberta Safety Codes Act.
The Edmonton-area entrepreneur opened the distillery in 2020, releasing its first product, Real Country Vodka.
Since then, the distillery has significantly expanded its product line, introducing several flavoured vodkas, as well as a whiskey and gin line.
County manager Debbie Oyarzun said administration has been working with Bogach for several months, not only to finalize his application to the municipality but also to secure the necessary permissions from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC).
She noted that the property is in an Agricultural District, and under the Land-use Bylaw (LUB), a distillery is a discretionary use, which the municipality approved in 2017.
As for the tasting room, Oyarzun said it is also an allowed use under the LUB agricultural diversification clause, which will enable operations to include activities that add value, bringing commercial experiences related to the enjoyment, education, or activities and events related to farming or farm life.
She added the distillery property has more than adequate room for additional parking to accommodate the additional visitors the tasting room would attract.
"No variances are required, all the setbacks are more than exceeded, and should any of the adjacent properties have concern in the change of use, there is an appeal process in place," Oyarzun said, adding all the property owners of the adjacent quarters have been notified about the proposed addition.
Oyarzun noted that Bogach did run into a bit of a hiccup when applying to the AGLC for his certification.
About a year ago, the administration provided a letter of support as part of Bogach's submission to the AGLC in place of a business licence.
"We don't have business licencing in the county, but there was some confusion with respect to permitting [from the municipality] in how we worded the letter," she said. "The problem is, since we don't have a business licence, we were trying to accommodate [Mr. Bogach] but by doing so, we may have muddled the process."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
