Spirits Watch!

Had it been the 1930s, American Prohibition Agent Eliot Ness would have been in his element rounding up guests attending the press night at the District Distilling Co. on 14th and U Streets where spirits were brewing on the premises.”A group of people that shared a passion about spirits really wanted to start up a distillery and had an opportunity to do a combination restaurant distillery pub here in a neighborhood,” part owner Chae Yi told Hollywood on the Potomac. “It’s something a little bit different than starting up a distillery in let’s say some industrial part of town. We were looking for a neighborhood feel, thus 14th and U Streets in the Southwest corner.”

Yi described the process of getting a license for District Distilling Co. this way: “We got the very first distillery pub license issued in the district, so we’re pretty proud of that. We have a lot of dedicated staff that kind of stuck with us throughout the entire process because it was a little bit long and curvy. There were a couple of detours, but we’re very happy to be where we are right now. I think that it will be really interesting once we get the tours rolling and production on its way. We’re in the process of making our own liquor. We’re going to open up with vodka, rum, gin and some bourbon that we’re blending for starters. We’re going to work on more spirits and we’re planning on having a Spirits Watch where we actually can showcase what we’re making in about a month or so.”