Local distillery the official liquor sponsor for Country Thunder

It’s safe to say more than a few beverages will be consumed at Country Thunder in Craven over the next few days, and for the first time, a local company is supplying those drinks.

Last Mountain Distillery, which is headquartered five minutes away from the festival’s main gate, is the official liquor sponsor.

“A couple years ago it was in the works and then finally came through. This is the first time they’ve ever had a 100 per cent local provider for all spirits so it’s kind of a big deal for us,” Braeden Raiwet, one of the distillery’s owners, said Friday in the beer gardens.

Raiwet said he has been coming to the festival for years and it sits really close to the Lumsden-based company’s hearts.

“It was just natural for us to be involved in it. We’re out here all the time, we’re right down the road (and it’s) easy for us to get our product here and be involved in it,” said Raiwet.

The reaction to the company’s wares has been good from the festivalgoers. Raiwet said everyone loves the fact the company is so close.

“They know where their product’s coming from, they know who’s making it (and) they know we’re using real ingredients from Saskatchewan. Everything’s supporting everybody else,” he said.

Last Mountain Distillery has been operating since 2010 and Raiwet said these days, local craft producers are more of “a thing” so more people are getting on board and spreading the message.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Gillian Massie and Lisa Schick