Experience Columbus recently launched its new Columbus Distillery Trail to take visitors and locals through the region’s top distilleries.
The experience, co-sponsored by Destination Grandview, is aimed at showing off the spirits and cocktail scene in Columbus, Ohio. Each stop of the trail offers tours and tastings, some with full bar service.
Visitors can download the Distillery Trail’s digital passport to get started. If users make four purchases at any of the stops, they will earn a custom Simple Times mixer. Those that visit all seven will earn “The Proof is in the Proof,” Columbus Distillery Trail t-shirt.
The digital passport includes stops like:
- Upstart Echo Spirits Distilling Co, which launched in 2020 in Grandview. The distillery aims to make high-end spirits accessible.
- Middle West Spirits, which was named U.S. Distillery of the Year in the Berlin International Spirits Competition. Nearly all of its 15 spirits brought home gold, double gold, gold and silver awards in various international spirits competitions.
- Endeavor Brewing and Spirits launched as a brewery in 2017 and expanded to a distillery in 2019. Their products include craft brews, vodka, rum, dry gin and a botanical gin. They also serve food from food trucks.
- Watershed Distillery established in 2010 and opened the state’s first restaurant connected to a distillery, Watershed Kitchen & Bar, in 2017.
- 451 Spirits is located next to a neighborhood dive bar in Columbus’ residential neighborhood of Clintonville. The distillery’s interpretation on rum, whiskey, mezcal and absinthe start with unusual mashbills and interesting products like the Pizza Pie’Chuga.
- Noble Cut Distillery in Gahanna distills vodka and whiskey, as well as limoncello. Distiller and co-owner Tony Gulifoy makes limoncello in tart, orange and grapefruit versions.
- High Bank Distillery in Grandview Heights has a restaurant and full-service bar offering food with locally sourced ingredients and cocktails both classic and in-house creations.
The new trail isn’t the only way to experience the city. The Short North Art Trail and Columbus Coffee Trail are other good options for visitors of all ages.