43
Candella micro distillery makes award-winning vodka
By KALEA HALl
BOARDMAN
It is no surprise that Bill Candella and his brothers started a micro-distillery.
Their grandfather, Sullivan Candella, made illegal moonshine during Prohibition and their aunt, Elizabeth Rega, was killed by other bootleggers in a liquor hijacking on the South Side during Prohibition.
The Candellas of today — Bill, the experimenter; Keith, runner of the distiller or “still”; and Chris, the paperwork guy — aren’t living the gangster life like their ancestors, but they are making the award-winning Y town vodka — an 80-proof, smooth spirit made from pure cane sugar.
They have taken steps to enhance their production since they began the micro-distillery, and they have other products that will go to market next year.
The brothers are embracing their history and humbly accepting their vodka’s awards from the American Distilling Institute — best in class and best in class other base for using a pure cane sugar. They received the award at the eighth-annual craft spirit judging event earlier this year. The American Distilling Institute’s contest is the oldest and largest judging event devoted to craft spirits, according to its website.
“Our vodka is so neutral,” Bill said. “It mixes so nice and it doesn’t have a harsh taste you have to overcome.”
The Candella micro-distillery became a reality after Bill got tired of sitting around after he retired from working as an engineer for a phone company. He played with making wine, and still does, and thought about going into the wine business with his late brother, Donn. “There were too many people in the wine business,” Bill said.
Someone told him to check out distilleries because a change in Ohio law would make it possible for him to open one.
He did, and the Candella micro-distillery project started to move.
Bill found a location for the operation about two years ago on McClurg Road.
“Donn and I sat here for a good six months to make sure we had everything,” he said.
By everything, he means certification from the state to operate the distillery. Then they started to experiment with an 8-gallon still.
Starting the process, Bill did his own research and learned how to operate the still. He knew he wanted a smooth taste, and the way to get that was to go straight to the source: pure cane sugar. Typically, sugar derived from grains is used.
Although this process costs more, it’s what it takes to get the taste of the $34.75 Y town vodka.
“This doesn’t give you the back-of-your-throat burns,” Chris said.
The hope was to get Y town on the shelves last fall, but that didn’t happen. It finally came out in January, and many in Youngstown were waiting for it. The one person who did not have a chance to see it on the market was Donn, who lost his battle with leukemia in October 2013. His brothers say he would be very proud. The Candella micro-distillery shirt he wore now hangs in the back where the vodka is made.
The process of creating the vodka involves making the “wash” — pure cane sugar, water and yeast — letting it ferment, and then putting it in the still. The still then separates the alcohol from the water.
“It’s a fairly simple process,” Chris said.
When the vodka comes out of the distiller, it is supposed to be 190 proof.
“It takes us two times [through the distiller] to get to 190,” Bill said.
Then, they let it sit and cut it down with distilled water to make it 80 proof.
The Candellas have gone from the 8-gallon still to having a 150-gallon still, but they still only get 10 gallons of product from that because most of it is water. They want to go from four bubble plates to 22 on the still to get more of the water out. They hope to have the bubble plates in place by May.
“This way we can get to 190 in one shot,” Bill said. “It saves us energy.”
The Candellas have experimented with fruit vodkas, but Bill isn’t into the essence ones. They put real fruit in the vodka.
“We are trying to make everything as natural as possible,” Bill said.
Gins may be a possibility in the future. Next year, a caramel apple pie moonshine called Duck Juice, named after Donn, whose nickname was Duck, will come out next year. So will a lower-cost Izzy vodka, named after Bill’s wife’s dog.
“In my eyes, it is all good,” Bill said. “If 90 percent of the people like it, you are doing good.”
Y town vodka can be found in 23 state stores in Ohio, including Chalet Premier in North Lima where it sells the most.
“We are still a craft store,” Chris said. “We are still small.”
It also is in many of the downtown Youngstown restaurants and bars.
“They have been good promoters,” Bill said.