Tucked away in an office park in south Reno, a new union-friendly distillery is banking on good booze, creative cocktails and hard work.
Underworld Distillery, located at 5301 Longley Lane, is a combined distillery and cocktail lounge that opened late last year to showcase the skills of founder Robbie Anderson, a former journeyman electrician and tradesman whose path to distilling emerged from his earlier work in building stills for making essential oils.
Anderson, who received an herbalist certification from Truckee Meadows Community College, was encouraged by a friend during the COVID-19 pandemic to try his hand at distilling liquor.
“Everything I’ve done in my life caters to what I do here,” Anderson told the RGJ during a Tuesday afternoon visit to the distillery.
Underworld is a family- and friend-run business. Anderson’s sister, Colleen Hanson, works as Underworld’s general manager. John Fleck, the company beverage director, is a longtime friend.
The business is also strongly pro-union and boasts of being the first International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union distillery.