The Old Prairie Sentinel Distillery has only been open for seven months but co-owner Rob Gugin already has plans to install new equipment that will help the business serve a fast-growing thirst for craft spirits.

Gugin wants to ramp up production and reach micro-distillery status.

“Lacombe has just been absolutely phenomenal in supporting us. Business has been great. We’ve been having trouble keeping up with demand since we started,” Gugin says.

He says a lot of demand has been coming from Calgary and Edmonton, two markets Gugin is targeting. Though his customers are diverse, he notices a pattern: lots of millennials, many urban, who are searching for an artisan’s touch in their spirits.

The latest addition to his business has been a tasting room, which has been open for two weeks.

Many customers want to test products before committing to a purchase. There are some restaurants in Lacombe that serve the distillery’s products but Gugin wants to make that possible on-site.

Old Prairie Sentinel also serves cocktails, to show visitors just what they can do with their purchase.

Gugin comes from a farming family and it shows through the old farming tools he uses as building décor.

His affinity for agriculture is part of the reason he’s sourcing barley from 24-2 Draft Horses, a group that uses old-school, horse-drawn farming techniques for the fun of it.

To them, a pair of 1938 John Deere reaper-binders are as good as new – maybe even better.

Yesterday, they were out west of Joffre, binding barley crops that will be malted and sent to Gugin’s distillery.

Red Deer-area resident Cam Anderson is one of the group’s members. There’s enjoyment in working the old-fashioned way instead of using modern techniques, he says.

“It’s so nice to do this. It’s so peaceful. You come out with your horses ... you shut your brain off, (you) don’t have to think about anything else,” Anderson says.

“It’s not for production for us. We just do it because we love it. Everything we do here is organic. It’s a lot nicer, we feel, than getting into a tractor and just plodding along and you’re still worrying about everything else.”