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A pint of beer is pulled in a pub in London, Monday, July 28, 2008. The iconic British pint is fast losing ground as the national drink, with a report out Monday showing beer sales in pubs slumping to their lowest level since the Great Depression. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
A pair of business partners is planning to open Delaware's first craft distillery.
Thirty-two-year-old Mike Rasmussen of Bear and 46-year-old Ron R. Gomes Jr. of West Chester, Pa., plan to open Legacy Distilling in Smyrna. The News Journal of Wilmington, Del., reports it would be the only standalone distillery in the state to make gin, vodka, whiskey and brandy.
A bill signed into law this spring created a framework for issuing licenses to distill spirits. Production is limited to 750,000 gallons a year.
Rasmussen and Gomes say they were attracted to Smyrna because its water contains fewer metals, such as iron, which can delay fermentation and become expensive to treat.
Legacy Distilling hopes to open by the end of the year.