Adam Quirk and Jeff Wuslich met in 2010 when Quirk interviewed Wuslich to be his wedding DJ. During the interview, the two instantly bonded over distilling.
This is what Quirk said planted the seed for their distillery, Cardinal Spirits.
This month, Cardinal Spirits is celebrating its one-year anniversary. Cardinal Spirits is a craft spirits bar and distillery with a focus on providing high-quality, all-natural and locally sourced alcoholic beverages. The distillery celebrated its anniversary with events last weekend, including a dance party Saturday night, and offered special anniversary cocktails.
Wuslich and Quirk started raising money to open the distillery in 2013 when Indiana passed the artisan distiller’s law, which allowed distilleries to sell directly to the consumer.
They wanted to have a place where they could educate consumers, bring them into the distillery, make a spirit and show them the whole process, Wuslich said.
The sophisticated vibe is part of what sets Cardinal Spirits apart from other bars in Bloomington, Cardinal Spirits Events Director Alison Zook said.
“You’re not in a dive bar,” Zook said. “It’s a nice, classy place where you can get beautiful cocktails.”
Much like how craft breweries are popular, craft spirits are the new trend, Quirk said.
They try to make the highest quality products possible, Wuslich said, while still making the atmosphere approachable and fun.
“We take the word ‘craft spirits’ to a different level,” Zook said.
Cardinal Spirits doesn’t use any predistilled neutral alcohol, and everything is made from scratch using as many local ingredients as possible.
Additionally, the tanks, pumps, bottling machine and broilers are all made in Indiana, Wuslich said.
Quirk and Wuslich care about the people who work with them just as much as they care about making a profit, Quirk said. Many of the employees have been there since day one, he said.
The best part about having a business in Bloomington is the people of Bloomington, Wuslich said. They care passionately about food and drink and supporting local businesses.
“The best compliment I got was yesterday,” Wuslich said. “Somebody said, ‘I can’t believe you’ve only been here for a year. It feels like you’ve always been here.’ That’s when I felt like we were really doing our job.”
