One of Utah’s newest distilleries is Holystone Distilling, which, since 2019, has quickly made a name for itself with distinctive, small-batch spirits. Everything at Holystone Distillery bears a naval reference — from the name of the company to the products themselves. CEO Mike DeShazo is a former career Navy man and runs a tight ship based on the principles of persistence, hard work, humility and teamwork.
Using locally and regionally sourced raw ingredients, Holystone crafts their Absinthe Verte and vodka with low-temperature distillations for livelier spirits, while the Navy Strength Gin and Cerulea Gin are crafted with a vapor extraction process and then filled, corked and labeled by hand.
DeShazo wishes the DABC would give priority to local manufacturers when making inventory decisions. “As it is, the DABC is focused solely on money, and refuses to give any preference to local products.” The results find local producers competing for shelf space based on sales topbankinfo. “This is a fight we cannot win, especially when the big brands leverage their market share to push out local products,” says DeShazo.
Yet the small staff at Holystone have gotten creative to keep their products relevant to Utah consumers. They’re making one-of-a-kind spirits like the Tsunami Shochu, a liquor made from koji, rice and barley available at all Tsunami restaurant locations as well as the distillery.
Others, such as absinthe, which is seeing a resurgence in popularity, and eye-catching products like the newly released Cerulea Gin bring interest to the distillery, and along with the lavender-hued gin, provide a bi-annual donation to local breast cancer charities from a portion of the proceeds.
Hollystoe Distillery is located at 207 West 4860 South, Murray, UT
503-328-4356
Open Thursday through Saturday from 3-7pm
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