Central Coast Distillery
Worth a stop on Traffic Way Story and Photos By Camas Frank OF VINO MAGAZINE
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Eric Olson opened The Central Coast Distillery on Jan. 19.
Sherry and Tommy Gong with Eric Olson 22 VINO Central Coast Edition
he Central Coast Distillery, a new boutique distillery serving handcrafted and small batch spirits opened just in time for the Tamale Festival in Downtown Atascadero, on Jan. 19. Eric Olson, a chef by trade, whose recent business ventures include the Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles with his wife Anna, was putting the final touches on the Distillery tasting room right up to the last minute. Anticipating some interest from passersby as the doors finally opened after a year of effort, he offered visitors Margaritas with honey vodka, fresh pair mojitos and organic Gin and Tonic, along with a salsa bar during the Tamale Fest. San Luis Obispo County Clerk Recorder, and Atascadero Resident Tommy Gong was among the early birds, taking home gift wrapped bottles of the locally produced spirits. With a street side view in the corner of the El Paseo, center on Traffic Way, the tasting room and production facility also feature an upstairs classroom where educational courses on the industry and culinary arts are planned. The first course after the opening focused on best practices for servers and bartenders with Darin Biamonte, veteran law enforcement officer bringing hands-on experience and sharing hard won knowledge from participation in Alcohol and Beverage Control sting operations. Olson noted the classes even before describing the fine craftsmanship of his cocktails,
sayings, “we’re big believers in safety and responsible indulgence,” and adding that he’ll be paying just as much attention to serving good food. With the product already on the wholesale market under the brand Forager, Olson was busy on a Tuesday afternoon taking samples from the latest batch to be sent to a lab for tests. “You know I’ve always been driven to [offer] the highest quality, as a chef... that was my passion to give the best,” he said, adding that for his newest craft he spent two years learning from distilleries in Kentucky, Utah, Tennessee, Washington, and Texas. Utah particularly he noted has a fine tradition of making agave products, although that’s not the state’s most well-known reputation. On the centralcoastdistillery.net website, he gets more specific about a mission statement: We hold to our belief and contribute to sustainable practices starting only with natural ingredients, utilizing organics when possible. Our Central California location affords us an abundance of resources within a region of various microclimates making it easy to work in harmony with our local beekeepers, farmers, and viticulturists to source our honey, grains, and fruits. In addition, we forage the land and sea hand gathering botanical and ingredients to use in our cocktails, menus and garnishments. Regular hours are still subject to change as the fine tuning of the establishment is in progress, but flight tastings of vodka distilled from raw honey, organic gin, bourbon whiskey, and rum aged in bourbon barrels will be available at their location at 5804 Traffic Way. (805) 901-6094 for information. Published by the PASO ROBLES PRESS