18th Street Distillery

We took a visit to a somewhat local distillery/brewery in Hammond, IN with our good friends Dave & Nina.

the first artisan distillery to open since prohibition in Hammond,
they Started in brewing beer then moved into Distillation.
Black owned by Drew Fox
2014 expansion to their current building mostly for beer
2014 started Distilling spirits,
they are the only distillery in the city of Hammond
Hammond had the 2nd largest distillery in the country at one time: In 1901, The Hammond Distilling Company was the second largest distillery in the nation, producing 25,000-50,000 gallons of alcohol on a daily basis. The Hammond Distilling Company was producing items such as “The Hammond Rye,” “Hammond Dry Gin,” and other refined spirits.
Drew Fox went to Moonshine University
Uses a copper pot still
Name comes from the road he lived on in Pilsen, IL
Head Distiller is Michael Ramirez
in their early days they used a mixture of 5, 15, 25 and 53 gallon barrels. They held onto the 53 gallon barrels to let those age for at least four years while the smaller barrels were released at very young ages.
Distillery started in 2017
The distillery has a 10,000 proof-gallon per year capacity. Everything is distilled on-site and not sourced.

Drew and his wife Hannah Fox chose Sara Jean Potts, a local Chicago Designer, to design the beautiful tasting lounge with the overall feel of the Roaring 20’s and The Great Gatsby. When you walk into the tasting lounge you will notice it’s sleek and has a laid back feel, but most importantly it takes you back to the “speakeasy” times. All of the imagery has been done by none other than Joey Potts, the Creative Director for 18th Street Brewery. Joey’s wife is Sara Jean Potts, (who designed the tasting lounge).