It all comes back to this patch of land where everything began. "This is as good as it gets," says McPhie.
"We're having the time of our lives," says Lindauer. "I'm more passionate about what we're doing in this organization than anything I've ever done."
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Russ Wall and Jeff Lindauer at the source of Spring44.
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Jeff Lindauer's father bought the forty-acre parcel in the Roosevelt National Forest forty years ago.
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In this video, we go up the hill with the founders of the spirits company to see the spring that started it all.
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But there is a catch. Although the company grew out of Lindauer's intense connection to Spring 44, taking both its name and inspiration from that source, the water from the spring will not be enough to sustain their dream.
They'd thought they had enough water to sustain their operational goals, even though getting that water would be problematic. But it turns out the investors want a backup plan. What if the road is impassable? What if the spring becomes contaminated? And then Lindauer received a letter from the state, suggesting that he could eventually lose the seniority of his water rights.
They had to find another source. "It was an emotional decision," says Lindauer. But they quickly identified another nearby mountain spring that could provide supplemental water, and drew up plans with the owners to procure it.
They still plan to have some Spring 44 water in every bottle, and the spring itself will continue to inspire everything the company does. After all, they are really bottling the essence of this place.
"It's always been about the water," Wall adds. "We just try to stay out of the way."
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Video: Take a video tour to the spring that started Spring44.
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