Say hello to D.C.'s newest distillery.
One Eight Distilling opened to the public Jan 8
with a tour, food, and cocktails made with the distillery's first signature spirits.
Many months in the works, One Eight Distilling is D.C.'s second legal distillery since Prohibition (the first being New Columbia Distillers, makers of Green Hat Gin, just five blocks down the road).
"We're really excited to be opening this week," says Jared Earley, marketing and events manager for the new distillery.
One Eight launches with two spirits, the District Made Vodka and Rock Creek White Whiskey. The white whiskey is rye-forward, with "hints of general, spicy pepperiness," says Earley. The vodka? Also made with rye. "We, and certainly Alex [Laufer, co-founder], are certainly a fan of that rye flavor, and it stands out in the market that way." Coming soon: a gin and infused vodkas, and eventually, aged spirits.
One Eight's facilities in Ivy City certainly give the team room to experiment. With 7,500 square feet of production space, there's room to try new things and grow. And the 2,000-square-foot tasting room has space for plenty of spirits lovers, some of whom are already talking about crawls between One Eight and New Columbia (and nearby
Atlas Brew Works as well).
For now, the only place to get One Eight's hooch is at its building, 1135 Okie St NE. "It'll be a little while," Earley says, but eventually, you'll be able to see One Eight appearing in cocktails all around D.C. "One of the most rewarding things about this experience has been the interest and support of the local bar community," he says.