Airport Experience® News - Food & Beverage Issue 2024

Right: The Victoria International Airport outpost of Victoria Distillers, makers of the Empress 1908 line of gins, is the first of its kind in North America: an airport distillery location where guests can not only sample craft spirits but can also witness and learn about the blending and bottling process.

airport-only offerings will set us apart and allow travelers to experience something truly unique,” he says. “Operating within the airport environment provides us with a new platform to test concepts and receive immediate feedback from a diverse audience. This rapid feedback loop enables us to iterate and refine our offerings efficiently. Ultimately, it’s a win-win scenario for our brand: we benefit from heightened visibility and engagement while travelers gain access to innovative products and experiences they can’t find elsewhere.” Experiential Elements While most distillery-branded airport concepts are bars and restaurants, Sidney, British Columbia-based Victoria Distillers , makers of the Empress 1908 line of gins, aimed to offer something more experiential when it debuted an outpost at Victoria International Airport (YYJ) in September 2021. The brand can’t actually distill on location, since working with combustibles post-security goes against local fire regulations, but it’s about as close as there is to an in-airport distillery in North America. “We create the base distillation at our parent facility down the road and we transport our materials to the airport and then blend the final spirit onsite,” says Tomás Dosil, Vancouver Island sales manager for the distillery. “We offer travelers a unique experience because we can ‘bottle to order’ their gin for them, and customers can engage with our team as we take them through the process of blending, bottling and labeling. It makes the takeaway much more unique than a bottle bought off the shelf at a local liquor store. It’s about engagement and education.” Dosil says that response to the airport blending, bottling and tasting location has been fantastic. “While opening in the middle of the pandemic was certainly not ideal, we have a wonderful partner in the Victoria Airport Authority. They understood our vision and ultimately

Avolta’s Pitman similarly sees the potential to delight travelers with an in-airport distilling operation. “Anytime you can create an experience that’s unique to an airport, you have an opportunity to improve the passenger experience by making the journey as exciting as the destination,” he says. “There are operational complexities and safety precautions that need to be addressed to distill in an airport, but in the right environment and with the right partners, I could see this catching on as a way to offer travelers immersive experiences, create a sought after destination and increase dwell time.” Areas USA’s Mendola sees distilling in an airport as more of a pipe dream considering the spatial restrictions of the environment. “That said, as long as the quality can be maintained to the brand standard, we’re always entertaining it and pushing for the next level,” he adds. Dugan of Shortbarrel and Old Fourth doesn’t see distilling in the airport as feasible, but he has other ideas in mind. “Picture this: bourbon barrels quietly aging within the airport premises, creating a unique and immersive experience for travelers,” he says. “Imagine a layover in the airport and catching a glimpse of these barrels, each barrel representing a piece of our craft and a story waiting to be shared. Airport visitors could witness firsthand whiskey aging, from the raw spirit to the rich, complex flavors that develop over time. This element of aging at the airport not only adds a touch of excitement and curiosity but also serves as a fascinating experiment.”

worked with us to keep the business viable through a very difficult period, and since then, passenger numbers have returned to almost pre-pandemic levels,” he says. Dosil adds that receiving all the necessary approvals for this unique airport location wasn’t easy. “This was a new concept, so it was really about working together with all the regulatory bodies to find a way to make this work while keeping our vision intact,” he says. “A simple retail store may have been the easiest solution but we really wanted it to be about so much more than that.” While it’s unlikely a true in-airport distillery will open in North America anytime soon given the complexities of the airport environment, it’s certainly an interesting prospect to distilleries and concessionaires alike. “I like to say ‘never say never,’” Constellation Brands’ Dahlgre says. “Many of the people who are passionate about distilleries really enjoy the craftsmanship that goes into creating the product, so distilling it in the airport creates a very memorable and educational opportunity for guests to engage with their favorite spirits in unexpected places.”

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AX NEWS JUNE 2024