Press Release: The Co-Founders of the Winter Park Distilling Company unveiled expansion plans which will combine a craft distillery, brewery, taproom and retail showroom all at a new location in the City of Winter Park. Dubbed the “Brewstillery”, this new concept will be the first-of-its-kind in the State of Florida and will be open to the public as well as feature regular tours on a daily basis. Housed within the refurbished and redesigned State Auto Body building on Orange Avenue, north of highway 17-92, the Brewstillery will be the latest addition to the eclectic mix of businesses that line this iconic gateway to the City of Winter Park.
“Our identity as a craft distiller is grounded in the unique beauty and creative drive of this community,” said Andrew Asher, Co-Founder of the distillery. “When we set out to expand the distillery, our first thought was to do something that would pay tribute to those qualities with a concept pioneered right here in Winter Park. Nobody else in Florida has done this yet.”
The Brewstillery will be the largest expansion for the Winter Park Distilling Company since its establishment in 2010. At the heart of the new distillery floor will be a beautiful, new 250-gallon 12-inch column still accompanied by new racks and floor space for aging whiskies and rums in barrels. The Brewstillery will also feature a retail space adjoining the production floor where visitors and patrons will be able to purchase, among other items, the Winter Park Distilling Company’s own signature spirits: Genius Vodka; Dog Island Rum; and its family of Bear Gully
Classic whiskies: the Reserve and Bonfire bourbons as well as New Make white corn whiskey.
When asked about the company’s plans for tours at the Brewstillery, Co-Founder, Paul Twyford commented: “Since our establishment, we’ve been inundated with requests for public tours. Unfortunately, our current facility just can’t handle that kind of traffic. The Brewstillery changes that completely. The moment we open the doors, we will host routine tours on a daily basis – making it a destination for locals and visitors alike.”
The brew in “Brewstillery” will come from Winter Park’s newest brewery and taproom, the “Bear & Peacock” which will be situated next door to and complement the distillery. The Bear & Peacock will house a five-barrel craft beer production facility with an elegant tap room. The tap room will be open nightly and feature the sublime brew making skills of local artisan brewmeister, Paul Smerge.
“We plan to take full advantage of being next door to a distillery to keep things interesting. We’ll have access to racks of used bourbon and rum barrels to age novel varieties of brew – and that will be a huge draw,” said Smerge. He added: “Additionally, our brews aren’t going to be distributed or sold anywhere else. If you want them – this will be the only place to find them.”
The planned opening date for the Brewstillery is January 2016.
Established in 2010, the Winter Park Distilling Company is the first genuine distillery in Orange County, Florida (and Greater Orlando). Along with Haven Bourbon, the distillery handcrafts local Bear Gully Classic ReserveTM bourbon whiskey, Bear Gully Classic BonfireTM bourbon whiskey, GeniusTM vodka, Dog IslandTM rum and Bear Gully ClassicTM “New Make” whiskey in the heart of Winter Park, Florida.