St Johnsbury Distillery, formerly known as
Dunc’s Mill, was forced to shut down over its name change. St Johnsbury
Distillery, formerly known as Dunc’s Mill, was given a cease and desist order
from the TTB, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau the federal agency that
controls all distillery operations in the United States, last week.
Owners
Dan Hughes, Brendan Hughes and Brian Garvey, purchased the distillery from
Duncan Holoday last month. As part of the deal, Holoday will continue in his
role as master distiller for a year. One
of the new owners planned to move the distillery from Barnet to St Johnsbury in
Vermont, hence the name change. Dan
Hughes, told the Caledonian Record, “We’ve been given a cease and desist
order because we were under the impression that we could use and continue to
operate under Duncan’s permits as long as we filed within a 30-day period from
closing. Because of the name change, I guess that’s not true.”
Skyler Genest, director of the compliance
and enforcement division of the state Department of Liquor Control, says state
licenses and federal permits are non-transferable. Genest says the distillery can reopen once
it gets authorization from the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade
Bureau.
The owners are awaiting approval from the
TTB, before the cease and desist order can be lifted and they can reopen. St Johnsbury Distillery produces four rums
including Dunc’s Maple Rum, Dunc’s Elderflower Rum, Back Woods Reserve Rum and
Vermont Rum. Hughes calls the
shutdown “devastating.”
