Thunder Bay bitters distillery set to grow

Superior Morning7:57Frape and Sons Bitters

The name itself doesn't sound appetizing but an entrepreneur from Thunder Bay is banking on bitters. We hear what they are and how one man hopes his distillery business catches on.A new distillery in Thunder Bay has cranked out the first few batches of an alcohol known as bitters.

Frape and Sons distillery makes the not-so-well-known alcohol, used to flavour cocktails and some types of food.

For ways to enjoy bitters, including to cure a hangover or hiccups, tap here.

According to their business listing on OntarioFresh.ca, Frape and Sons ferments and distills "locally sourced grains ... to form the alcohol base for the bitters, and local botanicals are infused using a unique vaporization infusion technique that produces bitters like none the market has ever tasted."

Owner and head distiller Justin Frape said he can make about 2,000 bottles a month at his current plant, but he already has expansion plans.

"I actually have plans to move to a building in the intercity area," he said.

"I'm in the process of negotiating with the landlord. I need significant power, significant water and significant drainage."

Frape said he has a distributor who can help sell the product nationally and internationally. He's hoping to tap the U.S. market, including Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Chicago. He's looking at setting up a distillery for beverage alcohol — like gin and whiskey — in Hovland, MN, for taxation reasons.

Bitters are not considered beverage alcohol, so are exempt from excise taxes.

A bottle of Frape and Sons bitters is 100ml, and costs about $20. Current flavours include coffee, and a rhubarb and bitter orange blend. Frape said he'd like to make more seasonal flavours of bitters later this summer, including blueberry, apple and pumpkin.

In the meantime, Frape said making the bitters has been "a learning process."

"The first time we ran the still, the product started coming out, and my wife was with me, and we were collecting it, and I said, 'How about that, it works after all'. And she kinda looked at me and she said, 'You didn't know?"

"I've certainly made a number of mistakes," Frape continued.

"[But] it's wonderful to make something with your hands. And, if you fail, you fail quickly and fail early and learn from it and move on."

Watch Justin Frape distill bitters.