Many spirits industry insiders have posed a simple question: “When will the craft distilling bubble bust?” The same has been applied to every category on fire, such as bourbon and rye whiskey. As soon as something goes up, pundits, including myself, ask when will it fall.

Human nature? Perhaps.

I personally hate seeing the end of a small business, and such is the case with the Lost Falls Distillery in Minneapolis. In late May, the owner posted this note on his Facebook page:

“Just letting letting folks know that barring some kind of miracle, I’m closing Lost Falls Distillery. It’s hard for me to write that after all the support, financial, artistic, and even just random heartfelt questions. I’m so thankful to y’all. I’ve been trying to believe that I exhausted every option rather than say I quit.
“Struggle has been the name of the game for years. I couldn’t transverse the muck this time.
“That being said, don’t worry about me, I’ll be up to no good in a few months, just need to take some time to repair my relations, finances, and myself. I’m selling the equipment, and the license if there are interested parties. It’s been a beautiful and damned project from the beginning. I’m happy with what I made, I wish I could have taken it further. “Thank you for your support. Love y’all. Nils”

The miracle did not occur, and the distillery has posted its equipment for sale on Craigslist, including a 100-gallon reflux column still for $9,500.

This equipment could go a long way for somebody with distillery ambitions, but I hope this is not the beginning of a trend. I want the little guy to succeed.