City committee warm to whisky distillery proposal

Four elected officials expressed nothing but enthusiasmfor a proposal to open a small whisky and gin distillery northeast of the Exchange District.

Council's property committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to support a land-use change that would allow entrepreneur Brock Coutts to open a microdistillery called Patent 5 in a 2,700-square-foot space on Alexander Avenue, between Lily Street and Waterfront Drive, in Winnipeg.

• Whisky producer eyes old warehouse on the edge of Winnipeg's Exchange District

Plans for the distillery include a 600-square-foot tasting room that would reuse wood and stained glass from the Oak Room at the recently shuttered St.RegisHotel.

Committee members applauded the idea before approving the proposal.

"This is an excellent reuse of an existing building [and the reuse] of a heritage asset," said Fort Rouge-East Fort GarryCoun. Jenny Gerbasi.

The proposal still faces approval from executive policy committee as well as council as a whole.