Ironworks Distillery opening a liquor store at Halifax airport
Will only sell locally made alcohol, with preference given to those made from local produce
It'll soon be possible to stock up on lobster and Nova Scotia brews before jumping on a plane in Halifax.
Liquid Assets, a subsidiary of Ironworks Distillery, is opening a new store in the Halifax Stanfield International Airport in April.
Co-owner Lynne MacKay says only Nova Scotia-made products will be stocked in the 400-square-foot shop, with preference given to those made with local produce.
"We will have select products from all the wineries — as many people as we can fit and are interested in climbing on board," she said.
MacKay says they're still in the process of reaching out to and connecting with distilleries, wineries, cideries and breweries from across the province.
Carry-on alcohol
The plan is to cover the back portion of the shop with a chalkboard map with different distillery and wineries highlighted, a sight MacKay hopes will entice new arrivals to visit the various locations across the province.
She says Ironworks — which now only has a retail location attached to its Lunenburg distillery — was prompted to put in a proposal with the airport due to frequent questions from customers debating how to transport bottles.
"People are often in our shop saying, 'Oh, I wish I could take this with me but I only have carry-on luggage.' This is a way to solve that problem," she said.
"Visitors ask for it. They want to be able to take their products with them. They want to be able to visit their family and bring products from where they live and bring products home from where they visited. I think it will be an interesting and beneficial adventure for everyone."
She says to her knowledge, the shop will be the only one in a Canadian airport to only offer alcohol from the region in the departures and arrivals area, past security.
Fill your boots — sort of
The plan is to open the Liquid Assets shop from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Jo-Anne McLean, director of the airport's non-aeronautical revenue, said the airport won't enforce any extra restrictions on purchases beyond what the airlines impose.
"Keep in mind that the airlines have carry-on restrictions," she said. "If they [customers] went really crazy and bought too many and had a few bags, the airlines may not be in favour of that."
There are several other local retailers operating out of the airport already, including Clearwater Seafoods and the Atlantic Sweet Shoppe.
Between lobster and locally produced alcohol — two proud Nova Scotian exports — does the airport have any plans to open a donair shop to complete the trifecta?
"We've been asked that a few times," McLean laughed. "You know what, that's not out of the question."