CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: INSPIRED BY SPIRITS DISTILLING CO., NOIRE DISTILLERY, MAGGIE’S FARM RUM, WIGLE WHISKEY, KINGFLY SPIRITS. | PHOTOS BY LAURA PETRILLA

On Aug. 1, 1794, more than 7,000 Western Pennsylvanians converged on Braddock’s Field in what is now North Braddock to protest the whiskey tax promoted by Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury under President George Washington.

Almost 230 years to the day after that gathering, I stood at the Braddock’s Battlefield History Center for another gathering and sipped whiskey made by modern-day distillers.

I love it when the past comes alive.

The event, which included vendors, speakers and costumed re-enactors, served as a fundraiser for the museum and an immersive way to showcase the ever-evolving story of hometown booze. For centuries, entrepreneurs have used distillation units, or stills, to make magic. The devices separate alcohol from a mixture of liquids through heat and then cool the vapors to condense them into a potent spirit that might haunt you the next day.

I’ve highlighted a dozen companies here, but there’s a lot more to explore. Pittsburgh is the birthplace of the Whiskey Rebellion, and our rocks glass runneth over.

Kingfly Spirits

Strip District: 2613 Smallman St. | kingflyspirits.com

KINGFLY SPIRITS | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

When branding Kingfly Spirits, owners Mark Willson and Christina French selected the migrating Monarch butterfly as their mascot to symbolize their love of travel. From spiced rum and grappa to limoncello and Pittsburgh’s first locally finished and bottled Tequila Blanco, globe-trotting experiences are condensed on a 58-gallon copper still in the Strip District. Pretend your palate is a passport. Head Distiller Jeff Murphy will be your tour guide.

KINGFLY SPIRITS | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Kingfly first took flight on Groundhog Day 2019 (I was there, Bill Murray was not), but the day-to-day operation is anything but routine. Originally built in 1906 as a horse stable, the 11,000-square-foot “urban barn” on Smallman Street was saved from the wrecking ball and transformed into a cocktail bar, apothecary, live music venue and, in the former hayloft, a private party space. Hay, girl, hay!

The business won a Pennsylvania Historic Preservation award for its loving restoration of the structure.

KINGFLY SPIRITS | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

The bartenders are creative, experimenting with seasonal ingredients and all sorts of house-produced spirits, syrups, tinctures, liqueurs and amaros, so opt for a flight and you’ll get to try six of their signature cocktails. The blanco tequila — made in partnership with Casa Maestri Distillery in Jalisco, Mexico — is tasty enough to drink neat. Añejo and Reposado tequilas are currently aging in barrels.

Despite the building’s history housing livestock, Willson believes the business is more like a candy factory than a farm. “It’s fun,” he says. “You get the Willy Wonka experience.”

Noire Distillery

Lawrenceville: 3908 Penn Ave. | noiredistillery.com

NOIRE DISTILLERY | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Inside a former auto repair shop on Penn Avenue, Kenyan Hicks is making Noir 74, an American gin that commemorates the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first championship win in 1974. The team’s logo is embossed on every limited-edition bottle. Hicks, a New York native, feels honored that the black-and-gold tapped Noire Distillery to produce the liquid.

“I grew up a Cowboys fan,” he says with a chuckle. “My cousin played for the Cowboys. I’m still working through my emotions.”

After a moment of contemplation he adds, “Jerry Jones has never given me a dollar back.”

NOIRE DISTILLERY | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Most of the 4,000-square-foot space in Lawrenceville is dedicated to production, although there is a small bar and lounge seating in the front room. Hicks, a Marine Corps veteran, wants to focus on honing his craft and raising capital; he’ll worry about aesthetics later. No matter where your football allegiances lie, I think you’ll agree that Hicks is making some Lombardi-worthy booze. A 120-gallon still churns out five gins, a vodka and a brandy.

The Steelers spirit is on the botanical side, not high in the pines; it’s the perfect addition to orange juice at a Sunday morning tailgate party. It’ll be available at six (like the number of Super Bowl rings!) locations at Acrisure Stadium and will pop up at team events throughout the city. In addition to promoting Steel City sports, Noire products help shine a light on Black history and culture through stories and special releases. The Lawrenceville distillery debuted its first gin during 2022’s Juneteenth celebration, symbolically pricing it at $42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, the first Black athlete to play Major League Baseball.

In 2023, Hicks and his wife Jennifer introduced Noire Blanc, their collaboration gin in honor of Loving Day, the annual celebration recognizing the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which struck down all anti-miscegenation laws remaining in 16 states. But, Hicks will be the first to tell you, love goes into every batch he makes.

Lucky Sign Spirits

West Deer: 50 Oak Road | luckysignspirits.com

LUCKY SIGN SPIRITS | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Along a winding back road in Gibsonia sits a nondescript distillery making high-quality hooch. Since opening in 2020, Lucky Sign Spirits has rolled the dice on everything from bourbon, vodka and gin to limoncello, aquavit and raki. The company recently launched a line of pre-Prohibition booze called Honest Hillbilly.

Master Distiller Joe “J.J.” Jackson, an Army veteran who appears on Discovery Channel’s docudrama series “Moonshiners,” says if you want to see the future of the industry, look to the past.

“The story of liquor is the story of agriculture,” he explains. “That’s what we’re trying to do with this brand: take the agriculture of Western Pennsylvania, follow that seasonal cycle and make spirits out of what would otherwise be thrown away.”

Inside the 11,700-square-foot production facility, Jackson and owner Christian Kahle are using locally grown ingredients and 19th century methods to capture the Keystone State terroir in a bottle. There’s no sugar or artificial flavors added to sweet the pot still. Whether you sip the corn whiskey, apple brandy, malted spelt or triple-grain bourbon, you’re tasting history and supporting present-day farmers. The bar and retail shop on Oak Road are open on Fridays and Saturdays and you also can stock up on bottles and pre-made cocktails at Giant Eagle locations in West Mifflin and McMurray.

Jackson says there’s a magic to making spirits the old-fashioned way. Once you taste Honest Hillbilly, you’ll realize that’s no lie.

Maggie’s Farm Rum

Strip District: 3212A Smallman St.; Upper St. Clair: 1387 McLaughlin Run Road | maggiesfarmrum.com

MAGGIE’S FARM RUM | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Allegheny Distilling, the business that’s been making award-winning Maggie’s Farm Rum for more than a decade, is experiencing so much growth that owner Tim Russell had to expand his Strip District operation and open a suburban production outpost to keep up with demand.

MAGGIE’S FARM RUM | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

If you’re planning to visit the Upper St. Clair site, here’s a head’s up: the former wig warehouse is easy to miss, as it doesn’t look like your average tiki bar. Take the elevator to the second floor where the food and cocktails are literally and figuratively on another level.

Don’t let the dainty drink umbrellas fool you; these aren’t beverages you should sip on an empty stomach (unless you’re sunbathing on a tropical beach). Chef Abbi Klobusnik makes some killer apps, sandwiches, salads, entrees and desserts. Since the kitchen uses fresh ingredients, the menu changes seasonally.

In 2012, Russell, who received his distilling certification from the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, produced Pennsylvania’s first commercially available craft rum since Prohibition and named the flagship beverage after a Bob Dylan song. Maggie’s Farm also has a line of fizzy, canned libations called Personal Day Hard Seltzers; they’re available at both distillery locations and at a number of breweries, bars and restaurants throughout the region.

Since this is Pittsburgh, I recommend you order a Zombie.

Wigle Whiskey

Strip District: 2401 Smallman St.; Ross: Ross Park Mall Drive; North Shore: 115 Federal St. | wiglewhiskey.com

WIGLE WHISKEY | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Although pirates are historically associated with rum, our Buccos are all about whiskey. Two years ago, Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting purchased Strip District-based Wigle Whiskey and its sister company Threadbare Cider & Mead. Now PNC Park is all-aboard with the booze. The North Shore Wigle Bar, located along Federal Street, serves food, cocktails and beer seven days a week. The Pittsburgh Baseball Club Level has been given a whiskey-fueled makeover.The three high-end rooms, which are available to rent for private events, include Wigle Reserve, Wigle Whiskey and City of Champions Bourbon bars.

In 2011, after original owners the Meyer Grelli family lobbied to change state laws, Wigle became Pennsylvania’s first direct-to-consumer craft distillery since Prohibition and re-ignited the city’s 200-year whiskey-making tradition. It’s named for Phillip Wigle, the guy who punched a federal tax collector, officially launching the 1790s Whiskey Rebellion. Wigle took one on the chin in 2020 when it debuted a distillery, restaurant and museum — on the weekend the pandemic started. The Nutting sale helped keep the company afloat in stormy seas.

Admittedly, I’m not a big sports fan, nor do I like shopping, yet I often find myself at Ross Park Mall. I have a teenage daughter who likes to plunder my bank account, and Wigle has a tasting room there staffed by a merry band of bartenders who make great Old Fashioneds. Raise the Jolly Roger, indeed.

Liberty Pole Spirits

North Strabane: 800 Adios Drive | libertypolespirits.com

LIBERTY POLE SPIRITS | PHOTO COURTESY LIBERTY POLE SPIRITS

Thanks to the Hough family, the Whiskey Rebellion is still going strong in the 21st century. Nestled in the heart of Washington County, Jim and Ellen and their sons Rob and Kevin wanted to give their distillery a patriotic name. While doing research on the 18th century uprising of Western Pennsylvania farmers and distillers in protest of the whiskey tax, they learned about liberty poles.

Ellen describes the timbers as a Revolutionary War-era form of social media, where one could post messages. In lieu of a groundbreaking, the Houghs erected a liberty pole on the new property as a welcome sign. It now stands in the Meetinghouse, near an upside down portrait of Alexander Hamilton (remember him? — hit musicals aside, the whiskey tax was his idea).

Liberty Pole Spirits was named Western Pennsylvania Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The sprawling “Whiskey Campus” includes a five-story rickhouse (one of the few storage facilities of its kind outside of Kentucky and Indiana), two pot stills and a colonial-themed tasting room called the Meetinghouse that delights booze enthusiasts as well as history buffs.

Mockingly raise a glass to Hamilton as you enjoy whiskey cocktails, whiskey flights, local craft beer and executive chef Alex Baker’s elevated pub fare that complements the boozy pours.

Love, Katie Distilling

Sharpsburg: 816 Main St. | lovekatiedistilling.com

LOVE, KATIE DISTILLING | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Love, Katie Distilling is Pittsburgh’s first LGBTQ-owned distillery. It’s also a love letter to owner Katie Sirianni’s fiancée, Jen Procacina. No, seriously — there’s an actual love letter on the back of each bottle. It’s a boozy valentine you can bestow on your partner, your friend or yourself.

LOVE, KATIE DISTILLING | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

With a 54-gallon still, Love, Katie produces vodka, gin, barrel-rested gin and coffee liqueur. There’s currently some rye whiskey aging in a berry brandy barrel, and several other libations are in the works.

Sirianni worked in health care for a decade before leaving the industry to be her own boss. For her first foray into the booze business, she partnered with her cousin Brian Zalewski, repurposed some vintage horse trailers and launched sips MOBILE BAR CO. After a while, they both wanted something more stable.

With Zalewski as manager, Sirianni got the keys to her current brick-and-mortar spot on St. Patrick’s Day 2023. She saw the date as a sign of good luck. (Who needs a horseshoe?) The decor is elegant, with white marble countertops, chandeliers and a sleek seating area. The music selection matches the interior, with songs by Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday on heavy rotation. The distillery’s food partner is The Brinery, a neighboring business that delivers smash burgers, sandwiches and other eats made with love. Guests are permitted to bring their own grub, too.

The cocktail menu features seasonal libations, classics and martinis. There’s always a liquid tribute to romance on the menu made with gin, elderflower tonic, simple syrup and rosemary bitters.

It’s called Love, Jen.

TLC Libations

Homewood: 7800 Susquehanna St., Suite 404 | tlclibations.com

TLC LIBATIONS | PHOTO COURTESY TLC LIBATIONS

When she was still in high school, East Liberty native Erika Turner wrote a business plan for a cocktail lounge. She got an A on the project, but her parents urged her to attend college before jumping into the booze business. Meredith Grelli, co-founder of Wigle Whiskey, was her sustainable fermentation professor at Chatham University. Now armed with master’s degrees in entrepreneurial studies and accounting, Turner runs TLC Libations, the first Black, female-owned distillery in Pennsylvania. Her mom, Diane Turner, is her business partner. On the fourth floor of 7800 Susquehanna St. in Homewood, a former Westinghouse plant that now houses small businesses, artist studios and nonprofit offices, the mother-daughter duo custom bottle and keg cocktails, including Old Fashioneds, Negronis and spiked punches and teas. They also make liqueurs and non-alcoholic offerings.

For the company’s anniversary in September, they’re releasing a north-of-the-border agave spirit. A Pittequila, if you will. From noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, you can grab a cocktail in TLC’s industrially chic and super-chill space; artwork from Erika’s personal collection is on display there. The company works directly with local creators and charities on label designs, with a portion of those bottle sales going back to the partner organizations. Every collaboration is a learning experience. Erika, who’s enrolled in Point Park University’s Distilling Science Academy, enjoys soaking up knowledge, especially from other professionals in the industry.

“You’ll hear these horror stories from people, but they say it with a smile on their face,” she says with a laugh. “You can tell they have a passion for it.” Sometimes, all it takes to find success is a little tender, loving care.

Boyd & Blair

Shaler: 1101 William Flynn Highway | boydandblair.com

BOYD & BLAIR | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

During my vacation to Maryland in July, I went to the local liquor store and was immediately reminded of home.

“Boyd & Blair!” I exclaimed, after seeing a shelf filled with award-winning spirits made in a former Glenshaw glass factory. I have the same type of reaction when I recognize Pittsburgh in a movie; I squeal, point at the screen and beam with pride as if I had the starring role. Boyd & Blair is a blockbuster in its own right.

Master Distiller Barry Young, a longtime chemist, launched the company as Pennsylvania Pure Distilleries in 2008; it was the second booze-producing business to open in the Commonwealth since Prohibition. He named the marquee beverage Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka, after his father-in-law, James Boyd Rafferty, and Dr. William Blair, an ophthalmologist (fitting since potatoes have eyes). B&B’s star elixir is made with PA-grown spuds and champagne yeast, giving it a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. For three years in a row, it won the Chairman’s Trophy at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Forget the traditional bubbly, this Dec. 31 I’d rather ring in the New Year with a Bloody Mary!

The distillery isn’t a vodka-only operation. Young’s other products include the prize-winning silver rum, ancho chili liqueur, ready-to-serve craft cocktails and a limited-edition line of spirits for the black-and-gold. Steel Curtain Vodka and Steel Curtain Rum commemorate the Pittsburgh Steelers 1974 world championship.

Imagine seeing those bottles in Baltimore Ravens territory!

Inspired by Spirits Distilling Co.

Allentown: 753 E. Warrington Ave. | inspiredbyspirits.com

INSPIRED BY SPIRITS DISTILLING CO. | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

The folks behind Allentown’s new distillery were inspired by spirits long before they got into the booze business. In 2019, Jesse and Amanda Mader and Mike and Raeanne Miles opened Dr. Tumblety’s Time-Inspired Specialty Shop to not only sell throwback hats, trinkets, cosmetics, perfumes and curiosities, but also to celebrate their love of New Orleans and all of its spooky charm. Their adjoining speakeasy, The Storyville Lounge, drips with Prohibition-era, red-light district, possibly paranormal energy. If you’re able to find the hidden entrance, you can sip a Sazerac at the penny-top bar, watch a burlesque show and laissez le bon temps rouler! That block of Warrington Avenue is basically Pittsburgh’s French Quarter.

INSPIRED BY SPIRITS DISTILLING CO. | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

In August, the friends introduced the third part of their Big Easy business plan. Inspired by Spirits Distilling Co. operates out of the neighboring storefront. There, chief distiller Mike Miles, the company’s jack of all trades, makes booze on copper stills that he also built. (Want one of your own? Fill out a form on the website to get the conversation started.) Mike’s liquid handiwork — he’s using locally sourced produce to concoct everything from eau de vie, brandy and gin to vodka, rum and apple-pie moonshine — is available for sale by the bottle and in cocktails and flights at the Conjure Bar & Stage located behind the distillery.

You might not see a ghost, but the spirits will definitely inspire you.

Still Mill Distillery

Swissvale: 2033 Noble St. | still-mill.com

STILL MILL DISTILLERY | PHOTO COURTESY STILL MILL DISTILLERY

At the aforementioned battlefield bash, I ran into Joshua Miller, who, along with his wife, Kathy, owns Still Mill Distillery. He was there selling bottles and passing out samples to folks in powdered wigs and tricorne hats. It was surreal to watch Ben Franklin sip gin out of a tiny plastic cup.

STILL MILL DISTILLERY | PHOTO COURTESY STILL MILL DISTILLERY

Inside their Noble Street distillery, the Millers make booze the old-fashioned way with simple ingredients such as cucumber and dill sourced from the nearby Swissvale Farmers Market. In addition to gin (which is Faux Founding Father-approved), Still Mill products include vodka, bitters, liqueurs, tinctures, sodas and WoodWater, a whiskey-like liquid that combines corn sweetness with smoky notes from charred oak staves.  The tasting room is open from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Fridays. You can stock up on to-go spirits or sit and unwind with a cocktail. The building, a former bar bought at a sheriff’s sale, was lovingly transformed into a cozy oasis devoid of televisions.

The Millers will be the first to tell you that their barebones operation isn’t revolutionary, but it’s the perfect place to visit if you’re in the pursuit of happiness.

Lawrenceville Distilling

Lawrenceville: 5410 Harrison St. | lawrencevilledistilling.com

LAWRENCEVILLE DISTILLING | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Pretty soon you’ll find Lawrenceville Distilling in Verona. The business, which opened in its namesake neighborhood six years ago, is repurposing a century-old bank building in the nearby riverfront borough. Brothers and co-owners Joe and Jeremy DeGroot plan to debut the new production facility and tasting room by the end of 2024. You can bank on their award-winning libations, which include Jaggerbush Gin, Parking Chair Vodka and 1129 Ridge Ave. Absinthe Traditionnelle.

Yes, absinthe is legal in the United States. The DeGroots’ version of the emerald elixir is named after a local ghost story, but it has no hallucinogenic properties. If you feel a little woozy after imbibing “The Green Fairy,” light food offerings will be available for purchase to help you soak it up. Lawrenceville Distilling will maintain a Lawrenceville presence by collaborating with Long Play Cafe, a record shop on Butler Street.

“This transition reflects our commitment to growth and excellence while honoring the rich history of our new Verona location,” Joe says.