Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits entered a new chapter this year, with real estate broker and new owner Justin Meccia at its helm.  

Meccia hopes to grow distribution, help entrepreneurs succeed and rebrand the business to Hidden Lake Distillery next year, blending the former owner’s years of identity with his own touches.  

Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits previously was a fine dining restaurant and cocktail bar off U.S. 2. Under Meccia’s guidance, the spot still serves craft cocktails, but Meccia shifted to a casual menu with a variety of specialty smashburgers. 

It’s been a wild ride, Meccia smiled, sitting in the quaint establishment, reminiscent of a cabin.  

Meccia moved to the Flathead Valley in 2008 from North Carolina, trading the ocean for mountains. Working in the restaurant industry, Meccia spent time bartending at different spots across the valley. While working, Meccia studied to get his real estate license, which he received in 2012.  

In 2016, his realty practice was successful enough to leave the restaurant world and pursue real estate full time. The purchase of Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits marks a return to the world he left, he said.  

Meccia met his wife, Zena, at Backslope Brewing in Columbia Falls. They married in 2017 while Meccia worked at a large brokerage, one he would ultimately oversee during the Covid-19 pandemic. He ended up starting his own brokerage with his wife, Campfire Realty, which he still runs today.  

“It taught me a lot about casting a vision, about supporting others, and it taught me a lot about business actually,” he said.  

Noting his Realtor mindset, Meccia said that when he enters a room, he immediately asks: “What is the highest and best use of this space? How can I maximize the potential?”  

It’s a mindset that encouraged him to purchase Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits.  

Sitting at a brewery in 2023, Meccia and his wife shared a thought: it would be fun to start a brewery or distillery. When Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits closed, Meccia connected with the owners and purchased the distillery in October 2024.  

“This restaurant was always on the short list of restaurants we’ve grown to love,” Meccia said. “That’s what sparked my interest.”   

One of the coolest parts about owning and operating the distillery has been connecting and partnering with other entrepreneurs. For a while, Meccia was only serving drinks until a young man brought him a homemade burger. Meccia recruited him and together they created a menu of smashburgers to serve alongside the cocktails.  

The menu is small to ensure quality, and the burgers are made from locally raised, organic wagyu beef.  

On a different night, another man walked in and pointed toward a cigar humidor that was holding artwork. He told Meccia he had cigars he could put in there to sell; now the case features a host of Ember and Oak cigars for purchase.  

"Within this place are multiple businesses,” Meccia said. “Everyone has been empowered in their own space.” 

Moving forward, Meccia is excited to continue to grow what will be Hidden Lake Distillery’s impact and presence throughout the state. He hopes to make a non-alcoholic version of the distillery’s most popular spirit, the spiced rum, and get bottles across state lines.  

Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits is located at 2134 U.S. 2 East. It is open Wednesdays through Saturdays at lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and for dinner from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.  

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected]. 

    Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits is a distillery in Evergreen. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits is a distillery in Evergreen. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Justin Meccia is the new owner of Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits in Evergreen. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Whitefish Handcrafted Spirit's most popular product, a spiced rum. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    A smashburger flight at Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits. (Courtesy photo)
  

    A drink is poured at Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits. (Courtesy photo)
  

    A burger and drink at Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits. (Courtesy photo)