Le Claire, Iowa, September 10, 2014 - Mississippi River Distilling Company is breaking ground on a new barrel storage warehouse and patio area in downtown LeClaire. The nearly four year old distillery is increasing their footprint in order to age more of their popular Cody Road Bourbon and Cody Road Rye whiskies.
The project has been talked about since the distillery's inception in 2010. "The city owned the land directly south of our building and the vision was always to have some sort of public plaza there." said Mississippi River Distilling Company owner Ryan Burchett. "The idea was to break up the buildings and allow for river views from the highway. But we never figured out the details on how it was to be developed because the empty lot to our south hasn't been developed yet."
Over the years, demand for the distillery's Cody Road whiskies has grown. They now have distribution in 22 states and 3 foreign countries. "We're thrilled that people want our whiskies. But with more people buying it, we have to be putting more away in barrels to keep up with demand on down the road." Said Burchett.
As space got tight in the existing facility, owners say the perfect opportunity presented itself right beside them. "We needed space and the city had an empty lot sitting next door." Said owner Garrett Burchett. "So we offered to purchase the lot and develop it in exchange for a public easement on top that would allow for visitors to access the plaza area as originally envisioned. We gained over 1,400 square feet of barrel storage and a patio; the city gets the public area we all hoped for from the beginning."
LeClaire Mayor Bob Scannell says it is a win-win for everyone. "From the City's perspective, we have a great business in LeClaire that continues to grow. With this investment, the distillery gets stronger and we get a nice addition to our riverfront. It's all done with private dollars and returns the land to the tax rolls. It's just great progress for all of us."
Burchett says the construction should be complete in about 6 weeks. "It's kind of like a big concrete garage, so it shouldn't take too long. The top will be at street level and will be a large patio with public access from Highway 67. Our tasting room will have a door out to the plaza as well. Underneath will be a 57 by 25 foot barrel room." The project is being handled by Friemel Construction of Bettendorf.
As this construction commences, LeClaire city officials are beginning to consider a separate brewery project to the north of the distillery. The new Green Tree Brewing Company goes before the LeClaire Planning and Zoning committee on Thursday with hopes to break ground on the LeClaire riverfront later this fall. "With everything going on in downtown LeClaire, we through this would be the perfect location for our new brewery." said owner Richard Day. "With the distillery next door, we think it will make the area even more of a destination and give LeClaire another first class attraction."
The brewery also plans construction of a similar plaza area just north of their building. "The City has another 25 foot plaza area just north of our development." said Day. "We're proposing to handle the construction exactly the same way as the distillery has. We think it's a great solution for all involved."
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