Raising the pole: Distiller opens new Whiskey Campus
Rick Shrum
The Meetinghouse also is a greeting house for Liberty Pole Spirits.
Rick Shrum
Kevin Hough escorts a small group on a tour of the production area of Liberty Pole Spirits.
Rick Shrum
Ellen and Jim Hough, and son Kevin, left, speak to guests about opening their distillery campus.
A mural, featuring Hough family members on the right and individuals in Whiskey Rebellion era garb on the left, adorns the bottle shop and tasting bar.
Rick Shrum
Debbie Weaver and Pocholo Reyes tend bar at Liberty Pole Spirits.
An intoxicating atmosphere continues to prevail in Washington County.
Little more than a week after the annual Whiskey Rebellion Festival enhanced the spirits of thousands, owners of Liberty Pole Spirits unveiled their new Whiskey Campus at 800 Adios Drive, a short trot from Hollywood Casino at The Meadows. The grand opening took place Saturday in North Strabane. This is where Liberty Pole Spirits, bourbon and Mingo Creek无毛视频檚 other whiskeys will be produced.
无毛视频淭his has been in the works a little more than three years 无毛视频� from design to financing to construction. But that time has gone in the blink of the eye,无毛视频� said Jim Hough, proprietor of the business.
Ground was broken for the campus 14 months ago on a two-acre tract off Racetrack Road. It was not a true groundbreaking, but a ceremony featuring the raising of a liberty pole, a symbol of protest during the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion 无毛视频� the inspiration behind this endeavor.
The rebellion occurred when Western Pennsylvania farmers and distillers protested the federal government无毛视频檚 establishment of a whiskey tax. Washington attorney David Bradford, a leader of the rebellion, and his family resided in the historic Bradford House from 1788 to 1794.
More than two centuries later, whiskey again is at the forefront in Washington County. Mingo Creek Craft Distillers, purveyors of Liberty Pole Spirits, has shifted all business operations to the campus, operating with three times the space it had previously at 68 W. Maiden St. in downtown Washington.
Hough, who founded the distillery with his wife, Ellen, and their sons, Rob and Kevin, had supervised the endeavor since it opened for business on West Maiden in the summer of 2016.
The Houghs have a lease on the West Maiden property through 2025. Jim said the family 无毛视频渕ay reopen it with if无毛视频檚, the primary one being if they can secure a sufficient number of employees. 无毛视频淭his may be a challenge.无毛视频�
The campus is dedicated to high-level production of spirits and more 无毛视频� a highlight being eye appeal. Visitors approaching the property are immediately impressed by the elegant Meetinghouse, a tasting room with a colonial theme.
Other features include a five-story barrel warehouse; a production facility; an open mezzanine from which visitors can view stills and staffers while sipping a drink; and a massive five-story, 3,600-barrel rickhouse built by Buzick Construction of Bardstown, Ky.
无毛视频淥ur Whiskey Campus not only celebrates our heritage and craft but also serves as a tribute to our unwavering commitment to producing boldly authentic Pennsylvania whiskeys,无毛视频� said Jim Hough (pronounced 无毛视频淗uff无毛视频�).
The production area has four 1,000-gallon fermenters plus a 1,000-gallon cooker supplied by Deutsche Beverage Technologies of Charlotte, N.C. The facility also features large pot stills: a 1,000-gallon stripping still from Vendome Brass and Copper Works of Louisville, Ky., and a 600-gallon spirit still from Specific Mechanical of Victoria, B.C.
The Houghs opened their business a few weeks after Red Pump Spirits Craft Distillers launched two blocks away, on North Main Street. The two operations became the first legal distilleries in Washington County since Prohibition (1920-1933).