Distillery proposed at Glenwood & Bay, across from Lowe’s

Chronicle Staff Writer Zander Frost reports: Andy Carayiannis and Chris Sander seek to open a craft distillery at the corner of Bay and Glenwood in Queensbury across from Lowe’s.

NY Highlands Distilling Company, under the current plan, would renovate 351 Bay — and demolish the former Ship Shape Building at 97 Glenwood.

“The building that’s there now, the retirement specialist building, will have an addition put on it,” their attorney Jon Lapper said. “For office and for tasting room and sale of some products.”

A new building at the Ship Shape site will be “the distillery for making the product.”

Then the product “has to be stored, it has to be aged, off site at a facility that they’re buying near the airport,” Mr. Lapper said.

He said they’re asking the Queensbury Town Board to add craft distilleries as a permitted use in the commercial intensive zone. “Queensbury allows craft breweries, but it doesn’t address craft distilleries,” he said.

He said they need the town board to add distilleries to the definition, “then we’ve got to go to the Planning Board.”

He said at a workshop meeting this week “the Town Board was supportive.”

Mr. Lapper touted the project as an improvement to the property.

“They’re going to eliminate the curb cut onto Bay Road, which is a positive thing. They’re going to knock down the old Ship Shape building. And it’s not an intensive use. There’ll be plenty of parking.”

He said the Town Board is “excited about it — two local guys that want to start a distillery,” Mr. Lapper said.