Back in 2017, Matthew had the opportunity to complete a summer internship for his master’s degree in Washington, D.C.. While he was there he had the opportunity to explore what he likes to call “Distillery Row”. This area is the home to several distilleries that are all within walking distance.
- Cotton & Reed
Address: 1330 5th St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002
Hours: Sunday 12 pm to 12 am; Monday CLOSED; Tuesday – Thursday 4 pm – 12 am; Friday 4 pm – 2 am; Saturday 12 pm – 12 am
Phone: (202) 544 – 2805
Cotton & Reed focuses primarily on rum. There space is open for tastings, tours, and private events. They pride themselves on the complexity of their rums and how all of the flavors of the ingredients come together to create the cocktail experience. The core spirits that are always available are a white, gold, and dry-spiced rum and an allspice dram. They also tend to release one limited rum per year. - Jos. A. Magnus & Co.
Address: 2052 West Virginia Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
Hours: Call for hours
Phone: (202) 459 – 3518
Jos. A Magnus & Co. became a reality as a result of an unopened bottle of whiskey that was dated back to 1892. The Magnus family used this bottle as the vision for the whiskey they wanted to once again produce. Currently, there are 3 whiskeys and one navy strength gin being produced by Jos. A Magnus & Co. - New Columbia Distillers/Green Hat Gin
Address: 1832 Fenwick St NE, Washington, DC 20002
Hours: Sunday CLOSED; Monday – Friday 8 am – 5 pm; Saturday 1 pm – 4 pm
Phone: (202) 733 – 1710
If you’re interested in history you will love the backstory of Green Hat Gin, but if you enjoy gin, New Columbia Distillers/Green Hat Gin needs to be on your list of places to visit during your next trip to the district. As made clear by the name, New Columbia Distillers/Green Hat Gin primarily focuses on gin. They produce a seasonal gin, navy strength gin, and year-round gin. Not only do they have gin, but they also have Capitoline Vermouth at the tasting room. If you’re not a big gin or vermouth fan, you still should check out the tasting room for their other spirits. - One Eight Distilling
Address: 1135 Okie St NE, Washington, DC 20002
Hours: Saturday 1 – 10 pm; Sunday 1 – 7 pm
Phone: (202) 636 – 6638
One Eight Distilling produces rye, bourbon, gin, and vodka from locally-sourced ingredients. Their pride for using local ingredients is why all of their spirits begin with “District Made”. - Republic Restoratives Distillery and Craft Cocktail Bar
Address: 1369 New York Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
Hours: Sunday 12 pm – 5 pm; Thursday 5 pm – 11 pm, Friday 6:30 pm – 11 pm; Saturday 12 – 4 pm
Phone: (202) 733 – 3996
Republic Restoratives is a female-founded distillery that “stands for community, authenticity and most of all friendship” and their spirits lean towards a focus on whiskey. Republic Restoratives produces a rye, bourbon, vodka, and apple brandy.
All of the distilleries offer tours and tastings on the weekends. In addition, all of the distilleries also have cocktails available for purchase.
When Matthew first visited, all of the distilleries were selling sourced whiskey while their own whiskeys aged so the only spirits that were true to the distillery were the gins and vodkas. It’s great to see the updated websites for all of these distilleries and to see how much they have all grown.
Tastes of the Terroir 