Ohio Distillers Guild

Ohio Distillers Guild

The midwestern state of Ohio is typically famous for its arts, music, and sports, with its major city of Cleveland being home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a famous baseball team. However, Ohio should also be famous for another thing: its distilleries and spirits.

Over the years, Ohio’s distillery industry has been growing and growing, with more micro-distilleries opening up and succeeding with their own processes and varieties of spirit.

Eventually, there came a need for a solidified community that would unite the distilleries of Ohio, giving them promotion and a voice, and that community was the Ohio Distillers Guild.

In our handy article below, we’ve got everything you need to know about the Ohio Distillers Guild. We’ve got in-depth information about who they are, what they do, where they’re located, who their members are, and much more. Read on!

What Is The Ohio Distillers Guild?

As we touched on in the intro, the Ohio Distillers Guild is a community made to unite the various different distillery businesses across the state of Ohio.

While individual distilleries might achieve success on their own, it’s always best to work together, sharing advice and helping each other out in the joint goal of promoting and strengthening Ohio’s fast-growing distillery industry.

The Ohio Distillers Guild was founded back in 2012 by the members of three different distilleries from across Ohio.

One of them was Ryan Lang from Middle West Spirits, located in Columbus, while the others were Greg Lehman from Watershed Distillery (also Columbus) and Tom Herbruck from Tom’s Foolery Distillery (located in Burton). 

These distillery entrepreneurs clearly felt there was a need to make a firm community for distillers in the state, and they founded the Guild so that it would offer a legislative voice for the craft distillers of Ohio.

On top of that, they also hoped that the Guild would act as a forum that industry professionals could use to find information and resources about the distillery businesses. 

What Does The Ohio Distillers Guild Do?

The primary goal of the Ohio Distillers Guild is to advocate for and support its member distilleries through improved legislature, which should then allow for Ohio’s distillery industry in various ways.

For one, it’ll give it a strong reputation in both the United States and the world as a whole. Secondly, it’ll improve the quality of the distilleries’ output. Thirdly, it’ll improve their overall success.

The mission of the Ohio Distillers Guild can be broken down into four key points, all of which drive development and growth into the micro-distillery industry of Ohio. 

  1. Firstly, the Guild wishes to educate the consumers more on what their distilleries do, as well provide greater access to their various fantastic spirits and products.
  2. Secondly, the Guild also aims to provide resources and support to member A3A’s.
  3. Thirdly, the Guild strives to provide legislation that established Ohio as one of the leaders of the micro-distillery industry.
  4. Finally, the Ohio Distillers Guild aims to create and sustain a healthy relationship between itself and the Ohio Department of Liquor Control. It’s always important to work with the lawmakers, and the Guild aims to have a positive relationship that’s fruitful for their distilleries and legislation.

Ohio Distillers Guild (1)

Where Is The Ohio Distillers Guild Located?

Since two of its founders were from distilleries that operate out of the city of Columbus in Ohio, it’s only fitting that the headquarters for the Ohio Distillers Guild is also found in Columbus. 

The Guild’s base of operations can be found at 1145 Chesapeake Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43212. 

Who Are The Members Of The Ohio Distillers Guild?

In total, the Ohio Distillers Guild has 27 members, as well as one producer brand and a range of allied industry and non-industry organizations that also contribute. For the main member distilleries, there are too many to list them all here, so we’ll just give a sample. Members include:

Naturally, as you can see, the distilleries owned by the guild’s founding three are all members. The 27 member distilleries are located all over the state of Ohio, and the Guild offers a clear map (or “trail”) of all their locations so that customers can more easily find each one. 

The Northern Ohio Distillery Passport

Meanwhile, the Guild also offers initiatives to get consumers even more involved in their members.

For example, the yearly Northern Ohio Distillery Passport is a scheme between 13 independent craft distilleries where consumers can visit the individual distilleries and sample their drinks.

Meanwhile, they can get their passport stamped at each one, and getting all 13 stamps earns the consumer a ticket to the Distiller’s Ball. 

Festivals And Events

Similarly, the Guild is involved in various festivals and events that also promote the state’s distilleries. For example, the Central Ohio Craft Whiskey Festival celebrates some of Ohio’s finest whiskey output.

State Fees

When it comes to operating a distillery in Ohio, you’ll need a paid license to do so. However, their licenses are a bit different to other state’s. Rather than have different types of license, Ohio offers a distillery license whose fee is based on the volume you manufacture per year.

Licensing Requirements

In addition to that flexibly-fee’d license, you’ll also need to get several other licenses allowing you to legally manufacture spirits.

Distillery Restrictions/Laws

There has even been a recent development in the laws that prevent home distilling in Ohio, with a new bill that could allow at least one person (aged 21 and over) to distill 100 gallons of liquor each year – and more with bigger households of of-age people.

However, only time will tell if this particular bill gets passed.

Final Thoughts

The Ohio Distillers Guild is a community designed to promote Ohio’s various micro-distilleries, as well as help drive-forward legislation that will allow for the state’s distillery industry to grow in success and reputation.

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