Kyle Ryan & Jeremy Loyer: Bare Distillery Alaska LLC.

• Author: Stomierowski, Peg
• Position: View from the Top

Bare Distillery is a premium spirits manufacturer founded by life-long Alaskans Kyle Ryan and Jeremy Loyer. Ryan's passion for the food and beverage industry led him in 2003 to the restaurant business program at Le Cordon Bleu in Portland, Ore., where he learned from sommeliers, winemakers, distillers, consultants, brewers, and restaurant and bar owners. He then moved to Adelaide, South Australia, to pursue a related degree in international hospitality. "I saw firsthand how passion drives dreams," Ryan says, "and how people tend to rally around inspiration."

Loyer, meanwhile, had been spending his time working for Bardenay in Boise, Idaho, the first distillery grill in the country. Soon after he returned home to Alaska in 2004, he and Ryan met at the Glacier Brewhouse and, through lengthy conversations, created a shared a vision of producing their own high-end, locally sourced vodka.

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LONG ROAD: Creating a company and a brand are fraught with challenge. It's been a long journey. Luckily, we happen to be the perfect match of complimentary skill sets, with me primarily managing the business and Jeremy the production. Our biggest challenges have to do with 24-hour workdays, but we managed to introduce Truuli Peak Vodka with a launch party in October at Alyeska Resort's Seven Glaciers Restaurant.

ALASKA MADE: We named our vodka to reflect its Alaska roots. Truuli Peak vodka, named after the highest point in the Kenai range, is made here with premium local ingredients--including Delta Junction barley, Chugiak wildflower honey and natural glacier waters--and distributed by Alaska's 0dom-Southern. These ingredients give Truuli a silky smooth finish and light floral bouquet. We aimed to create a true sipping vodka that pairs well with standard and exotic cocktail mixers.

ANGELS AMONG US: The...