The Craft Distilleries & Spirits Trail of Greater Philadelphia

The clear nectar of the gods is the specialty at this Kensington must-visit. A tribute to the rich history of Philadelphia, Federal’s signature Stateside Urbancraft Vodka is the main attraction. Tours and tastings are available.

Launched as a distraction for a mother grieving her deceased son, Naoj & Mott produces the Pollyodd line of Italian liqueurs. Joan Verratti, the state’s first licensed female distiller, runs a vibrant tasting room in South Philly where she pours five natural cream-based and five water-based spirits, like Limoncello and Chocolatecello, using locally sourced ingredients.

This sought-after Kensington distillery has earned numerous medals for its whiskey varieties from the American Craft Spirits Association. Visitors can tour New Liberty’s rustic space — circa 1906 horse stables — then head upstairs to the third-floor bar and lounge for a tasting, an expertly prepared whiskey cocktail or both. The distillery produces whiskey, bourbon, rye and vodka for its three brands — New Liberty, Maryland Heritage Series and Kinsey.

Located inside the always-bustling Reading Terminal Market, the Pennsylvania Pour Collective serves as the tasting room for Pezone Row Home Grown Cello, which makes chocolate, chocolate banana and other flavors in addition to a classic limoncello. Also available for tasting: pours from Philly makers like New Liberty and Red Brick, as well as countryside distillers like Boardroom Spirits and Eight Oaks Craft Distillers. Plus, guests can do more than sample at the collective; they can meet the producers and even get tips on how to pair the distillers’ various spirits with food and treats from the market.

An old Fishtown factory houses Philadelphia Distilling — Pennsylvania’s first post-Prohibition distillery — which employs hand-hammered copper stills and Hall-Woodford wooden fermentation vessels to create batches of Bluecoat American Dry Gin, Blue Coat Barrel Finished Gin, Vieux Carré Absinthe, Penn 1681 Vodka and THE BAY Seasoned Vodka (seasoned with traditional Chesapeake Bay seasonings). The distillery offers a full bar and restaurant with a lounge, tasting room and retail store.

Founded via a successful crowd-funding campaign, Red Brick Craft Distillery produces varieties including two small-batch whiskeys, a pineapple rum and a clear sugar wash rum. Tours and tastings are available.

A small shed on the property of Philadelphia Brewing Company (PBC) — not, as the name would suggest, a rowhome — is where former PBC brewer/owner Dean Browne perfects his craft. Rowhouse makes very small batch gin, traditionally Scandinavian Nordic Akvavit, Poitín Irish-style whiskey made from 100% barley malts and Bear Trap herbal liqueur, which is made from 19 fresh organic botanicals. Tastings are available during retail hours, though tours of the 1,200-square-foot space take place by reservation only.

This Manayunk distillery takes a historical approach to its sole spirit: gin. Handcrafted in a copper-pot still, Palmer’s Liberty Gin uses a traditional 18th-century Dutch recipe that calls for rich botanicals, citrus and spices.

Hewn Spirits sources grains locally, distills them in a handmade copper pot still and ages them in old, reclaimed rare-wood barrels. Among Hewn’s products: Shipmate Rum, Dark Hollow Pennsylvania Bourbon, Red Barn Rye Whiskey, Reclamation American Single Malt Whiskey and New Moon Moonshine. Distillery tours and tastings take place by appointment at the Pipersville location, while the Peddler’s Village bar and tasting room are open daily.

Named after owner Herman Mihalich’s father’s favored fashion accessory, Dad’s Hat rye whiskeys carry a strong sense of history. Mihalich employs a recipe that harkens to the 18th-century days when Pennsylvania farmers used their surplus rye grain to distill the homemade whiskey, which later turned the state into the world’s chief producer of this type of spirit. Visitors can get a lesson in the modern and historical production methods from Mihalich or business partner John Cooper and then sample the final product.

Historical records suggest that Bluebird Distilling is Chester County’s first post-Prohibition distillery. Bluebird uses all natural ingredients to produce its broad selection of products, including white rye whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, plus four-grain bourbon. That ethos extends to the on-site lounge, where bartenders mix cocktails with fresh-squeezed juices and ingredients made from scratch. Bluebird also operates a bottle shop at The Shops at Liberty Place in Center City.

While new to the Philadelphia distillery scene, Pennsylvania Distilling Company follows old-fashioned principles to craft its grain-to-glass spirits from scratch. PDC’s lineup includes Pennsylvania Liberty Rye Whiskey, First City Small-Batch Vodka, Frontier Explorer’s White Rum, Frontier Explorer’s Gold Rum, Old City White Rye Whiskey and Founders Artisan Dry Gin, which incorporate all-natural ingredients. An on-site tasting room is open to the public, and tours are available on request.

Headquartered in Lansdale, this sustainable, family-owned craft distillery uses local ingredients in its line of award-winning spirits that include traditional vodka, flavored vodka, rum, gin, brandy, triple sec and vegetable-based specialty spirits. Visitors can enjoy Boardroom’s cocktail lounge and book tours through the company website. Fry’s Catering helps tasters hold their liquor on “Foodie Fridays,” “Foodie Saturdays” and “Brunch & Bloodies” on Sundays.

Named after his father and the four men who served as father figures to founder John George, Five Saints Distilling and International Spirits opened its doors in autumn 2015 in the Historic Humane Engine #1 Firehouse. Doubling as both a firehouse museum and distillery that specializes in premium spirits, including gin, vodka, whiskey and blood orange liqueur, Five Saints offers tours, tastings, retail sales and events.

On banks of the Manatawny Creek, this Pottstown distiller makes Odd Fellows No. 214 Gin, J. Potts Whiskey and other small-batch whiskeys, Hidden River Barrel Rested Gin and T. Rutter Rum. An antique-filled tasting room offers cocktails and spirit flights (as well as food trucks and live music); tours take place on weekends. Can’t make it to Pottstown? Manatawny operates two bottle shops and tasting rooms conveniently located in Center City Philadelphia: one on East Passyunk Avenue in South Philly and the other at One Penn Center adjacent to Suburban Station.

The Greater Philadelphia region is also home to distilleries without tasting rooms that instead only offer their spirits in liquor stores or bars and restaurants throughout the area. Faber Distilling crafts flavored vodka, gin and white rum, while Brandywine Branch Distillers produces Revivalist spirits, which include barrel aged bourbons and gins infused with flavors inspired by each of the four seasons. Also, Kiki Vodka distills their product six times to create a smooth-tasting, gluten-free vodka. Check out the Philadelphia Distillery Trail for information on where to find distilleries and to learn more about their spirits.