Sandstone Distillery isn’t moving to Tumwater, but owner regrets Facebook post about deal

The owner of Sandstone Distillery in Tenino, who last month excitedly announced his intention to relocate his business to the new Tumwater Craft Brewery and Distilling Center, is no longer making that move.

However, he shared some frustrations about the process on Facebook this week — and said Thursday he regrets that post.

“My emotions were still running high,” Sandstone owner John Bourdon said about his Tuesday morning Facebook post. “If I could write it over, I would write it differently.”

He said some unforeseen costs to moving his business to the under-construction Capitol Boulevard site are preventing him from making the move.

“Nobody’s to blame for us not being there,” he said. “I’m 100 percent in support of the craft district, and it’s going to be an amazing thing for our community. It doesn’t work out for us to be there, and nobody’s at fault for this.”

Bourdon said he is still searching for a new home for his distillery.

Members of Craft District LLC, the local developer of the distilling center, declined to speak about Bourdon’s post when contacted by The Olympian.

There isn’t a new tenant to announce to replace Sandstone Distillery, but a lot of people have expressed interest in the site, co-developer John Peters said.

“We have received a ton of support,” he said.

Although Sandstone has dropped out, Gig Harbor-based Heritage Distilling plans to lease more than 11,000 square feet of production and retail space for its whiskeys, vodkas, gins and flavored spirits, such as its Brown Sugar Bourbon. Capacity will be 150,000 proof gallons per year.

South Puget Sound Community College also has plans to lease as much as 10,000 square feet for classrooms, labs, small-scale production space, offices and a conference room.

Its craft brewing and distilling program launches in April, with plans to be in the center by fall. After completing 95 credits in classes such as business, fermentation science, and product development, students will earn an associate in applied science degree. Students also will get hands-on experience.

This story was originally published October 12, 2017 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Sandstone Distillery isn’t moving to Tumwater, but owner regrets Facebook post about deal."