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Spirited veterans: Two vets operate unique distillery

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Chris Lyons and Keith Quimby are artists in the making of vodka.

Owners of the newly opened Carbon Glacier Distillery, the two veterans - Lyons served in the Navy; Quimby served in the Air Force - are well on their way to making their mark in the distilling industry.

The distillery - named after the Carbon Glacier on the north side of Mount Rainier - is one of about 40 licensed distilleries in the state. It is located at 533 Church Street in downtown Wilkeson.

Nestled in the foothills surrounding Mount Rainier, Wilkeson was established in the late 1870s and incorporated in 1909. With a population just south of 500, the small, quiet town is loaded with a history that centers on the coal mining, lumber and sandstone industries.

The town's sandstone was used in the sculpting of The 91st Division Memorial at Watkins Field on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

"We've got a nice little history here," Bert Gonzales, a World War II veteran and the owner of Skeek's, the restaurant next to the distillery, said.

"We were the most important community in the Northwest due to the sandstone."

It was the town's history that drew Quimby and Lyons to open their unique business there. Both mentioned the upcoming annual Handcar & Lawnmower Races that will be held on July 21 and 22.

"It's the link to the past that drew us, and so we thought to do our business here,"

Quimby said as we stood at a Douglas fir bar that bears the marks of the saw that cut it.

On the floor in front of the bar is a 10-foot section of old railroad track. Railroad spikes anchor the shelves, which hold 750 ml bottles of 80-proof B4 Premium Handcrafted Vodka.
"And if we failed, we would have a basement full of liquor," he added with a grin.

When not distilling vodka, the two men work for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad.

"We get along well," Lyons said. "We began talking about what career we would like to have for the rest of our lives."

The idea for the distillery began to grow, and after a couple of years of planning, Carbon Glacier Distillery opened on May 1.

Lyons and Quimby said that business has been good.

"We make a handcrafted product, from the grains we use to how we make the vodka," Lyons explained. 

"As to business, it has been better than we expected. People come by and visit us in the tasting room, and we've sold out," Quimby said. "The vodka sells itself."

The tasting room is open weekly Friday to Monday from noon to 6 pm. For more information, visit www.carbonglacierdistillery.com.

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