Pirates' Treasure, Loaded Cannon Distillery
A former Dow Chemical engineer and a graphic designer with a mixology background walk into a pirate-themed distillery… stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
Deep in the heart of Lakewood Ranch in a landlocked concrete jungle you’ll find Loaded Cannon Distillery, a veritable oasis in this particular desert. Stepping into the beautifully appointed tasting room transports you aboard the deck of a pirate ship for a voyage with Captain Steve Milligan and his quartermaster, Michelle Russell. The walls are an Adriatic blue, the copper bar top gleams, and the ceilings are high—there’s a vast empty space above the shelves of loot (merchandise) and Michelle explains with breathless excitement that it’s about to be filled with the pièce de résistance of her design vision: an exact replica of half of the ship The Queen Anne’s Revenge, which will sail triumphantly above the Tasting Room, courtesy of the craftsmanship of Steve’s brother-in-law.
There’s so much heart at the heart of this distillery; Steve and Michelle—and their partners—are dedicated to the tenets of sustainability, innovation, collaboration, sourcing local, and paying it forward. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when bars and restaurants and distilleries were unable to operate as usual, Steve and Michelle came up with a plan to keep busy and to use some of their raw materials to help the community. Loaded Cannon Distillery became Loaded Cannon Hand Sanitizer Distribution Center, producing upwards of 15,000 bottles of free hand sanitizer made up of high-proof rum and vodka. First responders from Venice to Tampa showed up for the hand sanitizer that was in short supply in those early days and Steve and Michelle were gratified to be able to shine some light during a dark time.
Steve completed his first liquor distillation at the age of 20— old enough to make it, not yet old enough to drink it. He’s since honed his craft, and being able to taste it has certainly helped with that process. Steve is unassuming and soft spoken; his delivery is deadpan and restrained but his quiet intensity is buoyed by a wicked sense of humor. Steve handles the tours, which include jokes and facts about pirate lore, tastings of unadulterated liquor (read: jet fuel), and introductions to the various machines, contraptions, and whatchamacallits that fill the back of the distillery.
There’s a distinctly whimsical quality to the work being done here. It’s scientific and exact and Steve’s office looks like the chemistry lab in a high school for supervillains, but the stills and the filters and the barrels make me feel like I’m Veruca Salt touring Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and nobody can convince me that the large, all-copper still, named for a female pirate, doesn’t strongly resemble the machine that produces Everlasting Gobstoppers.
Loaded Cannon doesn’t just make fine spirits like Jalapeño Infused Vodka (perfect for Bloody Marys), or Japanese Rice Whiskey, or a Dark Rum that would move Captain Jack Sparrow himself to tears. According to Steve, Loaded Cannon also makes the cleanest water in Bradenton. There’s that chemical engineering degree being put to use again.
In the next breath, Steve smiles and mentions that in Gaelic “whiskey” means “water of life.” With his diverse travel background, stellar academic record, and didactic knowledge of seemingly random information, Steve would make an excellent addition to a trivia team or the coolest college professor of all time but, lucky for us, he’s dedicated his talents to making Loaded Cannon the premier distillery in South Florida. Lucky for Steve, he’s not alone on this quest—he’s joined by his partner in proofs: Michelle Russell. Michelle and Steve have such an easy rapport and obvious affection for each other that people often mistake them for family but Michelle became a part of Loaded Cannon one design project at a time. Steve recognized her aptitude and attitude and, in true pirate fashion, lured her into the high seas adventure of building, creating, marketing, and developing a distillery destined to become a destination for those in the know.
There are so many stories to be told about Loaded Cannon. Some are fun (ask about what’s in the salami sticks made by Geier’s Sausage Kitchen specifically for the distillery) and some are fascinating (ask about the history of local pirates), one made me cry (ask about the 400-year-old school beam and what a son did for his mother). I guess the most important one begins like this: A former Dow Chemical engineer and a graphic designer with a mixology background walk into a pirate themed distillery…
Loaded Cannon Distillery: 3115 Lakewood Ranch Blvd, Ste. 110, Bradenton, 941-900-1482; loadedcannondistillery.com
