7 Brilliant Washington DC Distilleries to Check out

Washington, D.C. is a city steeped in boozy history. In the last decade, the city has not only paved a beer and wine footprint, but locally distilled spirits are residing on local restaurant cocktail menus and liquor store shelves.

Whiskey, rum, vodka, and gin barely scratch the surface, proving that not everyone in D.C. works for the government.

Leave it to the Nation’s Capitol to lead a distillery movement of post-prohibition liberation, social activism, and melting pot portraiture.

Northwest Ivy City, lovingly dubbed the ‘distillery row of D.C.,’ accommodates Washington, D.C.’s growing dedication to locally distilled spirits. Between distillery gardens, bars, tastings, and tours, Washingtonians can enjoy a shared affection for craft spirits and a fabulous cocktail culture.

Best Washington DC Distilleries That You Should Visit

Green Hat Distillery

Address: 1832 Fenwick St NE, Washington, DC 20002
Bar and Gin Garden hours: Saturdays 12pm-8pm, Sunday 1pm-6pm
Tours: Limited tours and guided tastings available, visit Green Hat Distillery website to book a tour

The Green Hat Distillery origin story is captivating, humorous, and the most ‘DC’ booze story imaginable.

A legendary 1920’s D.C. figure, The Man in The Green Hat delivered the outlawed ‘demon drink’ to Capitol Hill offices and lawmakers during America’s prohibition. Years later, Green Hat became the first local distillery to serve DC after prohibition ended.

Green Hat Distillery pays tribute to this Capitol Hill icon with four premium gin varieties. Tours can be booked online for an inside look at the Ivy City location or visit the Green Hat Bar and Gin Garden for creative gin cocktails on Saturday and Sunday.

Schneider’s—Capitol Hill’s resident liquor store—sells Green Hat Gin that sits just blocks away from the 1920’s action. Washington DC bars also captivate the botanicals of this bottled history buff in cocktail abundance.

*Thrashers Rum Distillery in Washington DC*

Thrashers Rum Distillery and Potomac Distilling Company

Address: 1130 Maine Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024 (Directly under Tiki TNT Rum Bar)
Tours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm

Native to District Wharf’s Potomac River location, Thrasher’s Rum Distillery sits underneath the popular Wharf Tiki TNT Rum Bar hangout. Head rum distiller Todd Thrasher honors Guyanese-style rum, taking inspiration from South Pacific notes of caramelized molasses to inform a unique English Caribbean rum variety.

Scenic views of the river feature alongside the playful rum cocktails at Tiki TNT’s multilevel bar, but tastings and tours run 10am-5pm Tuesday through Saturday every half hour on the the half hour for those who want a behind-the-scenes look into metropolitan rum distilling.

Email info@thrashersrun.com to book a tour, and upon arrival, look for the Thrasher’s Rum smokestack and double doors to start the tour of this rum distillery in DC.

Gold, white, spiced and green-spiced rum are for sale at the distillery.

Cotton and Reed

Address: 1330 5th St NE, Washington, DC 20002 (Union Market)
Tasting Room Hours: Monday-Thursday 4-12pm, Friday 4pm-2am, Saturday 12pm-2am, Sunday 12-10pm
Tours: Two tours conducted every Saturday at 12:30pm and 1:30pm.

As DC’s first rum distillery, Cotton and Reed encapsulate’s America’s melting pot mentality with rum inspired from around the world, merging distinct rum styles into a one-of-a-kind identity. Both tropical and English influence and a high distillation proof maintains a ‘light’ and ‘mojito-able’ final product. Cotton and Reed is not just a mover and shaker for the future of rum in Washington DC, but for the whole of America.

Forty-five minute distillery tours are held twice a day every Saturday and casual tasting room options include an indoor rum bar and outdoor ‘streatery’ patio. Tasting menu items range from ‘light and fizz’ and ‘boozy’ to ‘hot’, ‘shaken’, and ‘slushie’.

Republic Restoratives Distillery

Address: 1369 New York Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
Hours: Pick-up only at this time from 11am-5pm every day

Women owned, crowdfunded, and intentionally ‘disruptive’, Republic Restoratives Distillery is pushing the boundaries and breaking the traditional American spirit mold. Inclusivity is a cornerstone of the Republic Restoratives narrative, where traditions are broken in the best way possible and diversity is valued above all except the quality of spirits.

The variety is vast at Republic Restoratives, covering all the spirit bases…bourbon, apple brandy, vodka, rye whiskey, and ‘madam’ whiskey that celebrates the first female, black, and South Asian Vice President Kamala Harris. The tasting room is currently closed, but patrons can pick up all bottled spirits for at-home consumption.

Don Ciccio & Figli’s

Address: 1907 Fairview Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
Tasting room and Bar Sirenis hours: Saturday 1pm-8pm

The origin of this Washington DC distillery starts nearly two centuries ago in the Italian town of Atrani on the Amalfi Coast. Here, Amalfi native Vincenzo curated a superb collection of Italian liqueur recipes, including Amaro.

After multiple reinstatements of Vincenzo’s magical touch, Washington DC welcomed Don Ciccio & Figli’s in 2012, where Italian herbal liqueurs are handcrafted in small batches. Bitters range from ‘beautifully bitter’ to ‘seductively sweet’ and cordials merge sweet, fresh, and herbaceous qualities.

The Ivy City tasting room is open on Saturdays from 1pm to 8pm with limited seating and the Bar Sirenis serves Amalfi-inspired cocktails on the Bella Vista patio and indoor lounge, keeping to the Don Ciccio & Figli’s motto…‘born in Italy, reborn in the USA’.

Washington DC Distilleries - Farmers and Distillers — *credit Farmers Restaurant Group*

Founding Spirits Distillery

Address: 600 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
Hours: 7am-10pm
Spirits available at Farmers & Distillers and it’s sister restaurants

The Founding Farmers restaurant family is a household name for many DC families. But more recently, the dining empire expanded the ‘source-matters mission’ to include spirits when they opened a small batch distillery in 2016. The small distillery is housed inside one of many Founding Farmer restaurants, Farmers & Distillers.

As a farmer owned distillery, ingredient quality and farmer loyalty is at the heart of this small yet impactful award winning DC distillery.

Sample the Founding Spirits’ selection of vodka, dry gin, bourbon, and American Amaro at the on-site distillery at Farmers & Distillers or at any sibling restaurant (Founding Farmers and Farmers Fishers Bakers).

George Washington Distillery and Gristmill — *credit Virginia Tourism Corporation*

George Washington’s Distillery & Grist MIll

Address: 5513 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22309 (2.7 miles from Mount Vernon main entrance)
Tours: Saturday & Sunday, open April-October (Admission by tour only)

When America was only a wee baby, George Washington’s Distillery was one of the largest whiskey distilleries in Washington DC… and the world, producing almost 11,000 gallons in 1799.

Today, the small-scale distillery continues to operate and yield drinkable spirit batches of both aged and unaged varieties true to the traditional 18th century model.

Visitors can tour the Mount Vernon distillery from April to October and learn more about George Washington and Farm Manager James Anderson’s distillery endeavors. George Washington’s rye whiskey, straight rye whiskey, and rum, as well as apple and peach brandy, are available for purchase onsite.

Chacho Spirits

Address: Chacho Bar and Distillery, 6031 Kansas Ave NW, Washington, DC 20011
Tasting room hours: Saturday, 2pm-10pm (Tours: 3:30 pm, 5:00 pm, and 6:30 pm)

The main product of Chacho mixes South American cane sugar with natural jalapeño flavors, creating traditional style “aguardiente” liquor found in Colombia, but with a kick.

Permanently Closed D.C. Distilleries

One Eight Distilling: sadly our favorite distillery closed
District Distilling Co.
Jos. A. Magnus & Co.: moved to Michigan