Photos by OHventures
1230 Courtland Ave.
Columbus, OH 43215
Columbus, OH 43215
First there were wineries, then there were breweries, and now the next big thing in the imbibing world is the recent crop up of distilleries. In Columbus, we are lucky to have a couple of great new distilleries, but I must say, respectfully, that Middle West Spirits outshines the competition.
Middle West Spirits first and foremost won me over with its customer service. I knew that I wanted to have an event at a distillery as part of a mini bachelor party-like tour of the city for one of my out-of-town friends. Middle West Spirits answered the call - literally - when other places would not. It was fantastic to talk to someone right away and to hear how enthusiastic they were about having their distillery as part of our "Guy's Day."
The distillery currently holds tours open to the public on Wednesday evenings. However, if like me, you have a special occasion on a different day (mine being Saturday), you are welcome to call ahead and reserve that day/time. What I wanted was a private tour & tasting and that is exactly what they set up for us. The cost was $10 with a minimum of 10 participants. We had 11 people, so that was no biggie. $50 needs to be paid in advance. Very reasonable!
The tour was 2 plus hours, and it consisted of the owner Brady and his apprentice Phil taking us step by step through the vodka and whiskey making process. They talked to us about branding, about local and artisan ingrediants, and showed us the equioment and machinery up close and personal.
We then got to taste each of their current products: OYO Whiskey, Vodka, and Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka. We even had another brand of vodka to taste so we could compare. It was fantastic. Brady and Phil were extremely open to questions and explained everything really well. They were engaging and friendly and made for a great kick-back experience. They offered us waters and even went over our 2 hour timeframe! We definitely got our money's worth!
Many of us purchased bottles of the alcohol to take home with us, which I am saving for my house warming. I am really excited because I purchased the Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka and it was the tastiest vodka I have EVER had hands down. The corn and honey used to make the vodka is from Ohio while the vanilla is from Uganda (the same place where Jeni's Ice Creams gets their vanilla).
The only downfalls are parking (which is limited to meters in the area) and the fact that they did not have air conditioning at the time of our tour. However, they since have installed an HVAC system! The bottles of alcohol are pretty pricy but that's because the products are so kickass and amazing, that it is worth the price.
It is so great to have such a great small company that is all about keeping things pure and local. The attention they give to each bottle is evident and much appreciated. I can't say enough good things about Middle West Spirits!! Get there and find out what OYO means!!
PS: Middle West Spirits is not just limited to tours. You can also stop in to buy the alcohol or other products, such as t-shirts, thorughout the week! Their alcohol can be found at bars in the Columbus area, or at local liquor stores such as Europia in Short North!
Middle West Spirits first and foremost won me over with its customer service. I knew that I wanted to have an event at a distillery as part of a mini bachelor party-like tour of the city for one of my out-of-town friends. Middle West Spirits answered the call - literally - when other places would not. It was fantastic to talk to someone right away and to hear how enthusiastic they were about having their distillery as part of our "Guy's Day."
The distillery currently holds tours open to the public on Wednesday evenings. However, if like me, you have a special occasion on a different day (mine being Saturday), you are welcome to call ahead and reserve that day/time. What I wanted was a private tour & tasting and that is exactly what they set up for us. The cost was $10 with a minimum of 10 participants. We had 11 people, so that was no biggie. $50 needs to be paid in advance. Very reasonable!
The tour was 2 plus hours, and it consisted of the owner Brady and his apprentice Phil taking us step by step through the vodka and whiskey making process. They talked to us about branding, about local and artisan ingrediants, and showed us the equioment and machinery up close and personal.
We then got to taste each of their current products: OYO Whiskey, Vodka, and Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka. We even had another brand of vodka to taste so we could compare. It was fantastic. Brady and Phil were extremely open to questions and explained everything really well. They were engaging and friendly and made for a great kick-back experience. They offered us waters and even went over our 2 hour timeframe! We definitely got our money's worth!
Many of us purchased bottles of the alcohol to take home with us, which I am saving for my house warming. I am really excited because I purchased the Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka and it was the tastiest vodka I have EVER had hands down. The corn and honey used to make the vodka is from Ohio while the vanilla is from Uganda (the same place where Jeni's Ice Creams gets their vanilla).
The only downfalls are parking (which is limited to meters in the area) and the fact that they did not have air conditioning at the time of our tour. However, they since have installed an HVAC system! The bottles of alcohol are pretty pricy but that's because the products are so kickass and amazing, that it is worth the price.
It is so great to have such a great small company that is all about keeping things pure and local. The attention they give to each bottle is evident and much appreciated. I can't say enough good things about Middle West Spirits!! Get there and find out what OYO means!!
PS: Middle West Spirits is not just limited to tours. You can also stop in to buy the alcohol or other products, such as t-shirts, thorughout the week! Their alcohol can be found at bars in the Columbus area, or at local liquor stores such as Europia in Short North!
No comments:
Post a Comment