Pihtipudas’s Putaanportti has an order bar for tourists and a moonshine factory for lovers of strong spirits. Kolima Distillery’s goal is to revive the region’s old moonshine tradition with a new twist.
A completely new type of business has been built in the old ceramics factory. There are metal pans and distillation equipment on the floor of the bright factory hall.
The stairs, on the other hand, lead to a cozy restaurant where you can taste the factory’s own production in a unique environment.
– In a few years, our goal is to be an internationally known drinking house with moonshine at its heart, but there is much more to it, Kolima Distillery CEO Manu Aunola says mysteriously.
According to Aunola, the moonshine factory started with a big need and a big mouth.
– I once told the municipal official who criticized me during a coffee table discussion that if there was nothing else to get this holder, then at least a moonshine factory. The company has ten founders and more than 50 small owners who bought B shares, Aunola celebrates the birth of Kolima Distillery.
The founding meeting was held in December 2021, and during 2022 the company was started in earnest. In addition to renovating the premises and ordering equipment, three of the founders trained as distillers.
Kolima Distillery is about valueing locality
Kolima Distillery wants to revive the region’s old tradition.
– The grain is local and anyway we want to use as much local raw materials as possible. The water comes from the lake Kolima, which also flows through the windows of the production premises. So the spirit of Kolima is everywhere, says Aunola with a smile.
Moonshine is the core of Kolima Distillery’s product family, but there is more to come. Currently, trained distillers are responsible for product development in the company.
– Other strong products are coming as well as liqueurs and mixed drinks. Only a very small slice of the world’s best moonshine is produced from a single distillation. That’s why at Kolima, not everything will be put in the same bottle, but the rest will be refined into other alcohol products, Aunola explains.
The distillery products its operations right from the start in such a way that tourists and groups have the opportunity to get to know it. You can’t find a similar destination in the surrounding areas.
– The order bar is designed for 50 people. In addition to the fact that the factory tour ends at the bar and here you can taste what is produced on the premises, you can also order food service here. The location is ideal in the sense that it is close to four roads, for example tourists from Lapland drive right past our production facilities.