Dunrobin Distilleries remains in high spirits as it awaits the possible reopening of the Rideau Canal Skateway this year and says it can move quickly if and when the green flag goes up again.
The Stittsville-based distillery made history in 2022 when it sold alcohol out of a licensed kiosk on the canal. But the next year its dreams of selling spiked maple sap and hot toddies were dashed when the skateway did not open at all due to warmer-than-usual weather.
This year, the team is well-prepared for the season and in high spirits, said Adam Malmberg, director of business development.
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“This season, because of the market and because we’re in a country with inclement weather, it’s tough to do these things, so you have to be prepared,” explained Malmberg, who manages the skateway operations and plans for the distillery. “We can act within a week or two to get on the canal without going out of pocket over a few thousand dollars.”
Aside from the cost to rent cabins and booths, Dunrobin Distilleries won’t take too much of a financial loss if the canal doesn’t reopen. The distillery has a roster of contracted event staff that are on call for seasonal events, so no recruiting or re-training is required for the canal.
The distillery already owns much of the equipment and materials needed, like signage and barrels, and won’t purchase items like warmers and heating equipment until it is confident the canal is reopening. Due to the nature of their work, Malmberg said he isn’t worried about spoiled products.
“Because it’s spirits, the product is usable no matter what,” he explained. “We’re very fortunate that way, it’s a different dynamic because the way we structured our business means we’re able to (be flexible).
“It puts us in the driver’s seat to control our own destiny, so the losses would be more arbitrary than money,” Malmberg said. “The biggest loss would be the loss of opportunity and the eyes of the people.”
As the first vendor to sell spirits and liquor on the skateway, Malmberg said he’s dedicated to keeping the legacy going.
“The costs we can manage because we’re able to do our due diligence for it, so I’m always going to go for it with this once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity. How can you not try?” he said. “When it does open, and I do say ‘when’, or next year when it does, we want to be a part of it.
“We’re grabbing a hold of getting on there to share the experience and it’ll be great when it does happen, so we’re not going to give up on it,” he continued. “It’s just such a cool opportunity to be the first to do this on the longest skating rink in the world.
On Jan. 21, a portion of the skateway, which winds 7.8 kilometres through the city, opened for the first time since 2022 but was forced to close only a few days later.
BeaverTails co-founder Grant Hooker said he’s used to playing games with Mother Nature after the “dead loss” last year.
It can cost $70,000 to $90,000 to crane the Beaver Mobiles on and off of the ice, training, equipment, maintenance and set-up, as well as executive salaries for recruiting, training and organization of up to 150 new staff members, Hooker said. In a “usual” canal season, Hooker said the skateway operations would break even in about two or three weeks.
In the few days that the canal was open, Hooker said the Beaver Mobiles were busy, showing a “pent-up demand after the last two years.”
“We know what a busy day is, there are numbers that when you hit them, you say, ‘Wow, that was a good one,’” Hooker explained. “That’s what that first weekend was like.”
One consequence of canal closures is that BeaverTails staff have a hard time becoming familiar with the operations, Hooker said. Since many staff members are students or young people, there is a lot of turnover. Without consistent canal operations, the training processes have been impacted.
“Our staff doesn’t have enough on-site practical experience to be as efficient as we would have liked to have been. We could have done at least 25 per cent more (earnings) that first weekend, had we had staff that had worked before,” he explained. “But they normally learn quickly and the second weekend we’re ready to rock and roll. And we’ll be ready if it reopens.
“The NCC of course is very concerned about having enough ice so it’s safe,” he said. “So we just have to wait until Mother Nature gives them what they need in order to open it up.”
In an interview with OBJ earlier this year, spokesperson Sofia Benjelloun said the NCC is working in collaboration with operators. While Benjelloun said there are no alternative locations for vendors to set up if the skateway doesn’t operate, vendors aren’t charged rent for the days the skateway isn’t open.
She added that the NCC has offered some assistance to vendors who weren’t able to operate last year.
“In light of last year’s disappointing outcome, the NCC has offered operators, where applicable, the opportunity to return for an additional season at their same location,” she said.
