OLYMPIA -- Dry Fly Distillery and any other "craft" maker of distilled liquor will be able to grow three times larger than the current limits under a bill that passed the House Wednesday.

Small or craft distilleries were unknown in Washington two years ago when the Legislature passed a law allowing operators to make up to 20,000 gallons of distilled spirits. Dry Fly of Spokane was the first to open, and now there are 26 companies around the state that hold or have applied for a license, Rep. Alex Wood, D-Spokane said. They use local farm products and are becoming "another industry for our state," he said.

But in setting up the law, the Legislature picked an arbitrary limit of 20,000 gallons, he said. Senate Bill 6458 raises that to 60,000 gallons. The House approved the measure 97-1, and sent it back to the Senate because of a minor amendment to one section.

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