women completed an apprenticeship at
a whiskey distillery in Northern Cali-
fornia. Decelle introduced them to their
final and most seasoned partner, Mo-
tuapuaka, co-owner of Myla’Cor Wine
& Spirits, based in Sacramento. “As
soon as I heard their vision, I immedi-
ately said I’m all in,” says Motuapuaka,
who launched Myla’Cor in 2012, an ex-
perience she describes as “kind of like
having a blindfold on and swinging at a
piñata with a stick.”
In contrast, the Legado launch was
“really precise,” Motuapuaka says. She
made sure the brand had a social media
presence long before they poured their
first bottle, so that their followers would
spread the news of their events. She
focused their messaging on the women-
owned angle. She rattles off some sample
messages: “It’s whiskey with a woman’s
perspective, their experience, their
tastes, their palate. Strong enough for
men, but made by women.”
While the owners initially hoped to
add to this cred by starting the first dis-
tillery in the city of Sacramento, regula-
tory hurdles and high costs waylaid their
plans. “They don’t really know what to
do with us,” Magale says. “We’re practi-
cally defined as an oil refinery that’s go-
ing to blow the block up.”
Sounds hyperbolic, but it’s true. The
California Fire Code regulates refineries
and distilleries under the same terms,
because they both produce combustible
liquids. To qualify for a building permit,
the Legado owners would have to install
expensive safety appliances like spill-
catch systems and automatic drop-down
doors in addition to distilling equip-
ment. It’s the high price of these safety
features, compounded with rising rents
in Sacramento, that have prevented dis-
tilleries from opening closer to the urban
core, says Greg Baughman, who owns
Gold River Distillery in Rancho Cordova.
Those costs involve some bureau-
cratic Catch-22s: A distiller can’t start
selling spirits until it holds a federal
permit, state permit, formula approv-
al and label approval, but it can’t apply
for permits until it has a location and
equipment for the auditors to inspect.
The process can take up to a year and a
half. “And that whole time,” says Baugh-
man, “you’re just paying rent and not
doing anything.” Gold River and its Ran-
cho Cordova neighbor, J.J. Pfister, are the
only operating distilleries in Sacramento
County, while a few more dot the outer
(and lower-rent) reaches of the metro
area — Amador & Dry Diggings Distill-
ery in El Dorado Hills and California
Distilled Spirits in Auburn. “Rancho was
an easy city to deal with,” says Baugh-
man, explaining his choice of location.
Recently, state legislators have slight-
ly eased regulations for craft distillers.
Revival bartender Ronnie Kaldani
pours a drink with Legado Whiskey.
“we want to inspire others to create their own legacy,
to do whatever they feel passionate about.”
~ Yvette Rincon, co-owner, Legado Whiskey
In 2018, former Gov. Jerry Brown signed
legislation nicknamed The Craft Distill-
ers Opportunity Act, which bumps max-
imum production for craft distilleries to
150,000 gallons per year and scratches
rules that barred distilleries without
tasting rooms from selling their bottles
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