Enter Everwild Spirits

SANDUSKY — No matter if people love bourbon or have never tasted the distilled liquor before, its management team hopes all adults give this new business a shot. Who knows: They might even get whisked away and instantly become a big fan of the alcohol and ambiance provided by Everwild Spirits. "We want everyone to come in here, feel comfortable and learn about the overall experience of our bourbon," Everwild's co-owner Rick Lynch said. "And if you don't like it, we have an incredible bartending staff that has developed a deep knowledge of cocktails to help make that drink more approachable so you can enjoy it." Lynch, of Huron, runs the business with his wife, Gia Gennari-Lynch; and his brother-in-law. Jude Gennari. Gennari-Lynch and Gennari are siblings. "It's a modern craft bourbon distillery," Lynch said. "We are trying to bring the distillery experience people are used to in Kentucky, where 98% of all bourbon in the world is made, to Ohio." They spent the past year constructing a 5,000-square-foot building at 212 Hancock St. where Forte Music once operated from. It's also located across from Bowling Green State University's downtown college campus. "Our local architect, Josh Fox, and interior design firm, Richardson Design, did such a great job," Lynch said. "They allowed us to take a concept and deliver upon the vision we had. It's amazing." This past week, Everwild hosted some private parties, which doubled as soft openings. Going forward, it'll remain open from 4-10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and noon to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. "We have our license to serve the full gamut of beer, wine and liquor in addition to our bourbon," said Lynch, also noting Everwild does also offer a food menu. An investment eclipsing $3 million, the building offers both an outdoor patio and indoor intimate seating. Inside the property, people can post up at the bar or chill with their parties at tables and booths. From those seats, people can catch a glimpse into the production room, offering a view of Everwild's intricate distilling process. "People will be confident that the bourbon we make will be of a superior quality," Lynch said. On the outside, all three business partners agreed they wanted to incorporate aspects to help people create and capture memories from there. And, to satisfy Sandusky's ongoing public art initiative, they hired Ohio-based artist Cathy Tyda to paint four distinct murals. One pays respect to the late Abby Bastien, a 2016 St. Mary Central Catholic High School graduate. Another highlights Chris Farley of the film "Tommy Boy" a 1995 film set in Sandusky. "Everything we are doing here, it's something we are all passionate about to raise up Sandusky," Lynch said. "Even our name, 'Everwild,' is an embodiment of the vacationland, and Sandusky is the vacationland, where people come to get away from their daily grind. And, when people come here, we want them to feel like they're on vacation." Many people believe in the concept, including Jonathan Holody, the city's community development director. He worked with the team on its grant application. To offset the investment, city officials previously provided $100,000 in local economic development funds. "Everwild Spirits will be a year-round destination that will bring visitors to Sandusky," Holody said. "Bourbon tourism is a growing trend across the country. This project will put Sandusky on the map for bourbon enthusiasts." Breaking down the bourbon business Lynch offered up some more details, both in a personal and professional sense, about Everwild Spirits, what he labels as a "start-up craft bourbon distillery." This would mark Sandusky's first distillery of any kind in its history, Rick said. It follows a trend of craft distilleries rapidly emerging nationwide in recent years. In the simplest sense, distilleries differ from breweries as they produce spiritous liquor and not beer. • The local connection: "My wife, Gia Gennari-Lynch, was born in Sandusky and attended St. Mary's. Her parents and three of her four brothers still live in Sandusky as well as much of her extended family. I was born in Cleveland, grew up in Norwalk, attending St. Paul. We were married at St Peter & Paul (Catholic) Church in Sandusky. We now live in Huron Township, and our five children attend St. Mary's grade school and high school." • The deep roots: "My great-great-grandfather, John Kennedy Lynch, was a distiller and rectifier in Oswego, New York, from 1892 to 1920. I grew up hearing about his legendary whiskey from my grandfather, John Kennedy Lynch III. His most popular products were Lynch's Golden Wedding Whiskey and JKL & Sons Bourbon. His business was destroyed when prohibition went into effect in 1920. It has been a long-time dream of mine to restart this family business." • The family ties: "My wife is a co-founder and our chief flavor officer. Gia is a former flight paramedic for University Hospitals. She has been a firefighter and paramedic since 1996. She currently works part-time for the Huron Fire Department. Gia is also an exceptional cook: Her fettuccine alfredo and smoked-gouda mac and cheese are legendary. While we will not be operating a full restaurant, Gia will be responsible for our before-and-after menu and, more importantly, all of our bourbon flavors and finishes. Jude Gennari is our vice president of operations. Jude is Gia's brother. He was born and raised in Sandusky, attending St. Mary's. He has worked in the restaurant and hospitality industry for over 30 years, most recently as a manager of Cracker Barrel, on Milan Road, since 2004." • The process: "Our process will be a grain-to-glass approach, and we will purchase over 60,000 pounds of local corn, rye, wheat and barley from Ohio farmers for our distillation process. We will age, blend, finish and bottle our whiskey 100% in-house. Obviously, this means it will be a few years before our own whiskey is ready for bottling. In the meantime, we will use existing-aged bourbon stock that we enhance with our own unique Everwild blends and finishes. While these won't be distilled in Sandusky, they will be blended, finished and bottled here."