We are happy to welcome another new business to Lincoln County this week with the opening of Split Rock Distilling off Route 1 in Newcastle.
Regardless of whether you enjoy a cocktail or a glass of bourbon on the rocks now and again, we think the business fits perfectly with Newcastle and complements the local economy.
Lincoln County has quietly become a hub of the craft-everything movement in Maine, particularly when it comes to happy hour. We now have three fine breweries, a distillery, a meadery, and a winery.
One of the qualities we like about businesses like Split Rock Distilling is their ability to act as an attraction.
A business like Split Rock Distilling – with its claim to fame as Maine’s first 100 percent organic distillery – drives tourism and benefits other businesses in the process.
We see great potential for Lincoln County to grow as a destination.
Don’t think Lincoln County has drawing power? Read the July edition of Down East. Readers of “The Magazine of Maine” say we have the best breakfast and brunch, best chef, best lobster roll, and best new restaurant. Once you’re full, we also have the best bargain store, best furniture store, best gift store, and best place to buy women’s clothing.
Some of the readers’ other choices border on offensive – like the idea that Amato’s has a better Italian than, say, Metcalf’s or Reilly’s, but we suspect this vote was heavily influenced by city-dwellers who don’t know what a real Italian tastes like.
Lincoln County is one of Maine’s best-kept secrets, and some might prefer to keep it that way. But to ensure long-term, year-round economic sustainability, we might need to spread the good word a little bit, and businesses like Split Rock Distilling will help by bringing visitors to discover Lincoln County for the first time.
We encourage all new businesses in our coverage area to contact us so we can dispatch a reporter to talk with you and write an article.
In June alone, we featured a coffee shop, a distillery, a farm, a kayak rental shop, and a popcorn shop, as well as an app developer, an art and antiques dealer, a community kitchen, and a manufacturer of ornaments.
Some businesses, however, escape our notice – especially those off the main roads or without a storefront.
Articles about new businesses are some of our favorite articles to write, and some of our most popular, going by traffic on our website. We want the news and you want our readers – it’s a win-win.
So, have a new business? Email me at joliver@lcnme.com and I will arrange for a reporter to contact you.
