By Christopher Holland • The Current Contributing Writer
After nearly three years of challenges obtaining proper licenses and permits, Insurrection Distillery LLC officially opened its doors Nov. 23 in Lehighton.
Owned by Rodney Walck and Anthony Serafino Jr., the distillery is a small-batch producer of grain-to-glass spirits.
“We offer tastings, bottle sales and an array of mixed drink options as well as Pennsylvania craft beers and local wines,” Walck said.
The distillery hosts many events including food trucks, private mixers and parties, and most recently has arranged for food truck indoor services on weekends when outdoor food trucks are not available. It also began serving Sunday brunch on Dec. 1.
“We can accommodate small parties and mixers and can arrange for a variety of catered food items and even entertainment depending on one’s budget. We do not charge a fee for the use of the area and there is no upcharge for the food or entertainment brought in. We have events also in-house sponsored by us,” Walck said.
Walck and Serafino have had experience in different aspects of this type of industry from food to brewing in the past.
“Our passion was always to do distilling of quality spirits, so we began this journey,” Walck said.
The sources for the company’s distillates are sourced from various places.
“We use only 100% Virgin Island Molasses to produce our rums… Grains are sourced from NON GMO purveyors. We use local honey in some of our drinks and will be using this in some of our spirits in the future,” Walck said.
The honey comes solely from Wild Creek Bee Farm in Lehighton and he said that they source as many items as possible from local sources when possible.
“One such source is a local Lehighton Brewing Company,” he said.
“This is Half Barrel Brewing Co. There beer has become a focal point for us and we sell most of what they can produce. Where possible, we focus on local sources. Our new concept of the food truck indoors is a partnering with Through the Looking Glass in Jim Thorpe.”
He said that the distillery has a nice mixture of clientele from locals to those passing by and discovering them, and that much of the new customer base comes from word-of-mouth.
“We feel the most exciting element of this business is seeing the customer’s reaction when they taste artisan distillates. We like to tell them the story behind what they are tasting. Watching it become a destination and a gathering spot is heartwarming to us. We are passionate about what we do and what we serve,” Walck said.
The distillery is nestled in a historic building built in the 1860’s and much of the building’s features were preserved during the refit. Also, much has been repurposed as well.
“We feel anyone coming to the distillery will feel right at home and enjoy the rustic décor, which we like to call Hillbilly Chic,” Walck said.
Walck said that the distillery plans on doing some exciting things in the future.
“We will be doing special and limited releases on some distillates, having entertainment available as we are able to and continuing to focus on offering the best food we can at events and with our food trucks,” he said.
He said the distillery doesn’t have any special events planned at the moment since the upcoming holiday will be keeping them busy with private mixers and parties.
All non-private events are listed on the distillery’s Facebook events page.
He said that social media is its biggest word-of-mouth at this time and is its main directive for marketing. “As a new company beginning the business in the winter, we are limited on available advertising funding. We will review this as we are able to,” Walck said.
The distillery, located at 201 Main Lane in Lehighton, currently has 4 employees, but Walck and Serafino Jr. expect that number to grow in the spring and summer.
Business hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 4 – 8 pm
Wednesday: 4 – 8 pm
Thursday: 4 – 8 pm
Friday: 4 – 9 pm
Saturday: Noon – 9 pm
Sunday: Noon – 7 pm
Walck said that hours will be adjusted as needed around events and extended during the spring and summertime.
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