Adam Spiegel, proprietor of Sonoma County Distilling, began looking for a place to establish his whiskey production and tasting business in 2010. City after city said ‘no’ because he wanted to do something new – use wood-fired stills to make world-class whiskey. But Rohnert Park said ‘yes’ and Adam has been distilling here ever since. In fact, he’s done so well that he’s already expanded once, now expanding again into a new location, and recruited one of his key suppliers to join him in town.
The permit process and timing demonstrated Rohnert Park’s ‘can do’ attitude toward new businesses. Adam’s conditional use permit was approved in less than a month, and his building permits in two months. With the first expansion, the use permit was approved in three weeks, and the first building permit in just over three months. The permit for the second expansion was approved on the day he applied.
As Adam says,"It takes time to distill award-winning whiskeys, and they are best enjoyed at a slow pace, yet no City makes it easier to get started than Rohnert Park."