These Four Ohio Distilleries Serve Spirits With a Sense of Place

Middle West Spirits | Columbus
Ryan Lang says Ohio has some serious distilling cred. Before Prohibition, which Ohio played a pivotal role in helping to enact, the state was a key player in spirits distilling, according to Lang. And he’s a pretty good source. As the founder and owner of Middle West Spirits, one of Ohio’s largest distilleries, he spends a lot of time researching our state’s distilling history.

“It’s really hard to know where you’re going if you didn’t know where you came from,” says Lang, whose ancestors were distillers in Pennsylvania generations ago. “And there are a lot of lessons learned in that history.”

One of those lessons is a focus on Ohio agriculture. Working with the Ohio State University Extension office in Wayne County, Middle West Spirits built a network of local farms to provide grains such as the corn, wheat and more used in its products, including its full-bodied OYO American Character Vodka made with Ohio soft red winter wheat or its smooth-drinking cask strength Dark Pumpernickel Rye Whiskey. 

Although Middle West Spirits’ Short North Service Bar restaurant and retail Bottle Shop offers food, tasting flights, tours and the chance to buy bottles, the seasonal cocktail program is a big part of the experience. Try the espresso martinis made with OYO Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka or go off the menu and try one of Lang’s current favorites, a martini made using Middle West Spirits’ Vim & Petal Dry Gin.

“It was stunningly phenomenal,” he says. “I would never drink that normally, and I could not believe how good it was. That’s my new jam right now.” 1230 Courtland Ave., Columbus 43201, 614/299-2460, middlewestspirits.com

Adventure Spirits Distilling | Whitehouse
The feeling of belonging that you get after visiting Adventure Spirits Distilling in Whitehouse is intentional. Owner and founder Joseph Carter wanted to instill the ideas of community and identity in the distillery he opened after having similar experiences on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. 

“It’s about that closeness to the brand, the identity of feeling like you’re part of something,” he says. “It’s like you connect with how that brand does. You kind of participate in that cool success along with them.”

Carter says it manifests in ways such as buying a hat or T-shirt with the logo, buying a bottle of one of its bourbons or other spirits, taking a tour or just stopping into the 1911 historic building it calls home for a cocktail or tasting flight. (The former Whitehouse State Savings Bank was once robbed by Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd.)

The distillery is celebrating its second anniversary in December 2026, so there’s still time to feel like you got in on the ground floor. Stop by and try inventive cocktails featuring the spot’s spirits, such as the Breakfast Old Fashioned, a sweet and savory drink made with bacon-infused bourbon, or the Heminger Cowboy Old Fashioned made with Adventure’s Cask Strength Rye Whiskey and candied jalapenos. The Pretty Boy Old Fashioned is made with the distillery’s rum, which is aged in bourbon barrels. 

“We make our own bitters, our own syrups and juice,” Carter says. “A great cocktail isn’t just a drink. It’s the best way to experience what our spirits can really do.” 10907 Waterville St., Whitehouse 43571, 419/877-7720, adventurespiritsdistilling.com

Northern Row Brewery & Distillery | Cincinnati
Beer brewing and spirits distilling have both been part of Cincinnati’s identity for more than 200 years, according to David Berger. So, the Northern Row Brewery & Distillery founder and owner wanted to make sure his taproom and facility, which opened in 2015, was a nod to both. 

Northern Row’s 1895 building is a former Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. lagering site, where the 39-inch-thick insulated walls made it possible to cold-ferment the 500,000 barrels of beer Berger says the brewer produced each year in the 1890s. Aside from helping make it possible for the spot to brew its Brewer Amber Lager and Hustler Helles Lager, the facility helps Northern Row create consistent spirits because the temperature fluctuations during the aging process are much milder than a typical warehouse.  

That predictable aging, which Berger says is more akin to scotch, results in the rich, robust Stockhouse Select Bourbon Whiskey or balanced Bottled in Bond Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey, each of which are bottled under the spot’s Northern Liberties Whiskey Co. label. Northern Row also distills Cincinnati Gin, a bold and fresh spirit made with botanicals grown at the nearby Krohn Conservatory’s greenhouses, and the clean, crisp Good River Vodka. 

“Our spirits work well in cocktails,” Berger says. “They’re expressive, they’re balanced, and they give people room to explore flavor.”

With all the spirits, four core beers and 20 seasonal brews, there’s also a little something for everyone who visits Northern Row’s history-rich taproom.

“We’re about taste,” Berger says. “Everybody’s entitled to their own taste, and if you don’t like something, we’ll find something else because we’ve got a pretty broad palette.” 111 W. McMicken Ave., Cincinnati 45202, 513/620-8302, northernrow.com

West End Ciderhouse | Athens
Local sourcing takes on a different flavor in southeast Ohio’s Appalachian region. Because of Athens County’s rural nature and relative geographic isolation, supporting one other is just a part of the culture, says West End Ciderhouse founder and owner Kelly Sauber.

“People really just want to make sure that their neighbors are doing well,” he adds. “It’s second nature.”

In fact, Sauber switched from brewing beer to making spirits and cider because he could source most of the ingredients within miles of the distillery. Gold Rush, Gala, Macintosh and other apple varieties are used in the ciders and must-have apple brandy. Grapes grown 4 miles away are used as the base of most spirits, such as the slightly sweet vanilla vodka or combined with wild spicebush berries for West End’s bright, subtly fruity Appalachian Gin. 

At West End Ciderhouse’s Athens tavern, the cocktail program uses spirits to delicious effect. Seasonal cocktails use what’s growing at the time, such as a cucumber-based summer drink made using the Appalachian Gin, while Old Fashioneds and Manhattans are popular during cooler months. 

The tavern also offers tasting flights and live music in a relaxed environment, but if you want to buy a bottle of West End cider or spirits, head across the street to the distillery, where you can usually find Sauber each Friday and Saturday.

“It’s kind of fun for the geeks who are interested in just talking to me,” he says. “You can get it direct from the horse’s mouth, so to say, if you have any questions about our spirits because I have my hand in every one.” 234 W. Washington St., Athens 45701, 740/590-5364, athenswestend.com