Russell City Distillery / Buffalo Bill's Brewery

Geoff Harries is the CEO of Buffalo Bill's Brewery and Russell City Distillery. Mr. Harries will talk about his newest venture, Russell City Distillery.

Mr. Harries is the longtime owner and CEO of Hayward landmark Buffalo Bill’s Brewery. He is expanding his business with the construction of Russell City Distillery a few steps away from his brewery. The new distillery spans 3,700 square feet plus a 400-square-foot tasting room and retail space. Russell City Distillery will produce Hayward-crafted vodka, gin, rum and agave spirits, and will feature a tasting room, facility tours, and sales of bottled spirits on site.

Construction work on Russell City Distillery began in earnest on July, 2016. The new distillery is located in a midcentury modern retail space located between Buffalo Bill's Brewery on B Street and the Siam Palace Thai restaurant on Foothill Blvd.  When completed in 2017, the renovated facility will house a 750-liter, 17.5-foot-tall Arnold Holstein still and three 500-gallon fermenters. The equipment will allow the spirit producer to manufacture up to 5,000 cases a year at peak capacity.

In building Russell City Distillery, Mr. Harries told the San Francisco Chronicle that he is seeking to create something "unique and indigenous to the area" that reflects local history and "turns it into something that people enjoy drinking."

Russell City's primary business will come from restaurant sales and wholesale distribution, however a significant part of the business will also include distillery tours, sample tastings of the artisanal offerings, and retail sales of bottled spirits on site.

Presiding on 9/19: President Sean Reinhart