Woodstone Creek Winery and Distillery
As a true artisan winery and Ohio's first boutique distillery, Woodstone Creek produces 100-200 cases of wine, mead and distilled spirit yearly. The offerings change seasonally - Ohio grape varietals from dry to sweet, honeywine from local honey, port with our own potstilled brandy and fruit wine from area farms. Woodstone offers an unusual range of mead (7-15) from dry to sweet and fortified dessert wines. Woodstone's potstill produces brandy, honey liqueur, five grain bourbon, single malt whisky (peated and unpeated), rum, gin, bierschnaaps and vodka. Truly unique - all the fermentation arts come together at Woodstone Creek. Our winemaker is a certified brewmaster, mead mazer and master distiller all in one!
The Distillery:
Woodstone Creek makes small batch, single barrel spirits in Cincinnati Ohio. One of our microdistiller counterparts has said about microdistilleries, in general,"we make less than the big guys spill on the floor". Woodstone Creek makes three barrels a year - give or take. We have no production lines - no automated equipment, no computers, no bottling line and no employees. Woodstone Creek is true single barrel spirit - produced on a 238 gallon potstill designed by the distiller. For the most part, Woodstone Creek spirits are made much the same way they were made prior to the Industrial Revolution.
Cincinnati's Drinking History:
Most popularly known for it's beer, Cincinnati history is notable for distilling and winemaking, too. Cincinnati's distilleries eclipsed breweries in the 1800's in both number and political influence. As a port on the Ohio River, it played a major role on the Bourbon Trail. Just prior to Prohibition, when taxes were closing down many distilling operations, clandestine shipments easily made their way to the river's banks for waiting barges. In 1865, Cincinnati distilleries churned out a total of 1100 barrels of whiskey a week - a major force in the local economy. When the infamous George Remus came to Cincinnati to set up his bootleg operation during Prohibition (and avoid competition from Al Capone), he brought a list of 80 closed distilleries as potential production locations. He quickly became wealthy and politically powerful - a colorful figure in Cincinnati history.
As the birthplace of the commercial wine industry, a local historian has said Nicholas Longworth began producing his world famous sparkling Catawba in Cincinnati to encourage whiskey drinkers reduce their alcohol intake.
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