SPOKANE, Wash. – The oldest distillery in Washington is hoping to expand its presence under a new deal with a Napa Valley winemaker.
Dry Fly Distillery sold a majority stake of its business to the Wagner family of wine this week, a winemaker best known for Caymus Vineyards in Napa Valley.
“We’re over the moon,” said Dry Fly president Patrick Donovan.
Donovan said he is planning to expand the distillery’s national footprint under this new deal. He’s hopeful this will put their product on the map.
“It’s going to give us the things that we don’t have: horsepower in the marketplace,” Donovan said. “They can open doors for us that are really hard as a small business in our industry.”
The relationship between the two companies began ten years ago when a winemaker from the Wagner family came up for a distillery course.
“They have family that grows wheat in St. John Endicott so the connections, the uniqueness and the synergies between our two businesses could not be more perfect,” Donovan said.
The latest chapter in the decade long relationship has led to partnership.
The deal, which took about 6 months to construct, will see Donovan and Dry Fly’s original owner Don Poffenroth stay on the ownership board. Dry Fly will also continue to distill products in Spokane.
“I’m just glad we can finally start talking about it, be excited with the community and everyone who has helped us get here,” Donovan said.
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