Andrew H. Martin has seen the rise in microbreweries in recent years.
Now he hopes to be a part of the next big wave: microspirits.
Martin, of East Orange Street, plans to convert a former three-story tobacco warehouse into the county's first distillery since Prohibition.
And, within a year, he hopes to be reintroducing consumers to a product unseen here in nearly a century: locally made rye whiskey.
"It's something I've been interested in for a while. I've been reading about it for a while," said Martin, 34.
"Lancaster seems like a great place. The history of distilling is strong. It was destroyed with Prohibition, but I think it would come back."
Before he can make his plan a reality, Martin must receive permits from the state and federal governments to open a distillery.
Even before he does that, he must receive zoning approval from Lancaster city officials.
He will appeal to the city Zoning Hearing Board this afternoon for a variance to open the distilling operation at 417 W. Grant St. The meeting will begin at 4 p.m.
Pursuing the plan is a leap of faith for Martin. He has never distilled whiskey. Unlike microbrewers, who may learn the craft as home-brewers, it is illegal to distill spirits without a license.
"You can learn a lot of things if you study up," said Martin, who has worked as a website developer.
He will be securing a commercial real estate loan to complete the $245,000 purchase of the 12,000-square-foot building. He has it under agreement, he said.
It is now used as a warehouse and a recording studio. The studio tenant will remain, with rent helping to pay the loan, he said.
Martin plans to fund the renovations and equipment for the distillery himself.
He would begin general renovations to the building after receiving zoning board approval and after starting the state permitting process. The federal permitting process would follow and could take three to six months, he said.
Initially, he hopes to produce an unaged rye whiskey and a briefly aged bourbon. He would put part of that product into barrels, with plans to begin selling aged whiskey in three to five years.
Initially, he would be the distillery's only employee, but he hopes the business will grow and he can add workers.
Martin said he has not yet settled on a brand for his product. He has, however, talked to bar and restaurant owners and believes there would be interest in selling it locally. Most small-batch spirits sold in the state are bought by connoisseurs at the state's liquor stores, he said.
Martin believes his would be the fifth or sixth microdistillery to open in Pennsylvania in recent years. They began to reappear about five years ago with distilleries in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
The last area whiskey maker might have been Michter's, near Schaefferstown in Lebanon County. That distillery closed in 1989. Michter's brand whiskey is now made in Kentucky.
Martin said rye whiskey, in which more than half of the mash is from the rye grain, was the most popular distilled spirit in this region before the end of its production with the passage of Prohibition in 1919. A few distillers, primarily in Kentucky, were allowed to remain open. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the sweeter corn-mash bourbon distilled in Kentucky became the standard for whiskeys.
Martin said rye is grown in the county, primarily as a cover crop. He hopes to acquire local suppliers and bring a unique Lancaster County product to market.
"The number of microdistilleries in the last five years is really growing. It seems to be a trend," said Martin, who hopes to be a part of it.
