Watershed Distillery

I’ve always wanted to visit this distillery, and finally made it out there during the launch of its new Old Fashioned product. Imagine Willy Wonka meets booze. That’s how it felt as I wandered around sipping bourbon, learning about the distilling process, and watching mysterious liquids flow through tubes. The staff and owners are passionate about what they do, and were a lively bunch to hang out with. Tours are $ 10 (check the site for times and promos), and there’s a nice little shop in case you want a parting gift (which, you will).

Do I love Watershed? Oh man, I adore them!
So we went to a tour of the distillery quite a few years ago (back when the gin was not four peel) and have been fans ever since.
This place produces the best product around. I do not like vodka, but I drink theirs. The gin is the best tasting gin out there today. I don’t care about whatever other «top shelf» gin you might name, this one is better. To top that off the have the bourbon barrel gin which throws a whole other flavor component in. It’s delicious! I also love their bourbon, it’s so smooth. And yes, you can make bourbon in Ohio!
Watershed does not disappoint, ever. The service at the distillery is wonderful too. We went to the release party for the new Old Fashioned (which is AMAZING) and the event was flawless. The staff is so friendly and knowledgeable.
Support local, drink local!

The tour was so much fun, the owners are great people and it shows in their product. The bourbon is now my goto drink.

I took my parents and husband to the Watershed tour last week and we all had a great time! The tour is just over an hour and ends with a tasting of all their goods, including a new black walnut liquor that is very tasty! The tour was informative and an interesting way to accompany a dinner out. One thing I would suggest to anyone going, try to find a groupon! I bought all 4 tickets online for the very reasonable price of $ 10, but lots of other people there had gotten some deal that came with a shirt! Either way, money well spent.

This tour was so much fun! I have been on lots of distillery tours and this was one of the most interesting. I had a positive experience with Watershed before we even arrived in Columbus. You reserve your spot for the tour online, which is an easy process. My husband and I were driving through Columbus and thought this would be a fun stop. When I looked online though there was only 1 spot left on the tour. I emailed them on the slim chance they would allow us both to attend. They emailed me back promptly saying that it was fine and were very friendly. I was psyched!
Our tour guide’s name was Evelyn and she was awesome. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and friendly. We arrived a little early and she recommended a local bar for us to check out while we waited, which was a great suggestion.
The tour began with the history of the company, which was pretty interesting. Evelyn then passed around ingredients for their spirits and everyone guessed what they were based on smell. It was really fun! The tour then proceeded as she reviewed the distillation process for their vodka, gin, bourbon barrel gin, and bourbon. Of course the tasting at the end was the best part! Being a bourbon drinker myself, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked their gin. We made sure to buy a bottle of their Four Peel Gin before we left! I highly recommend this tour and look forward to continuing to support this great local business.

Just took a tour of the distillery with my fiancée and we both had a blast! Dave, one of the co-​founders, lead our tour was fantastic. He was extremely knowledgable about the process and the history behind the alcohol. He gave in-​depth, insightful answers to everyone’s questions and really has a passion for the spirit-​making process and business. I would absolutely recommend heading over for a tour if you love history and knowledge about spirits!

Extremely unaccommodating. In my opinion, they just tried to cash in on the prepaid Groupon tour, which they make next to impossible to schedule. They did not return my wife’s calls.
I’m all for going local, but their sense of community seems to be the pits.

I paid Watershed a visit about a week or so ago to take the tour with a group of my friends. It was an excellent experience as one of the founding partners took us around and gave us a class on the distillation process. It was very interesting to get to see the equipment and hear about the technique and skill required to make a great spirit.
At the end there was of course the tasting (which is admittedly the reason we were there mostly). We were given an excellent explanation of the flavorings of each spirit before trying them, as well as a bit on the vision of each of the products. I found that the current batch (#7 I think) of the Bourbon is significantly better than the earlier batch I had originally tried on my own. Their ratio of rye and wheat use puts it’s flavor profile in an interesting place on the sweet v spicy scale. I must say that their product is certainly making it’s way upward and I cannot wait to try it again as their aging moves from 2 ½ years toward 4.

Anyone interested in how your favorite liquor is made should tour the Watershed Distillery space. They give small tours all the time, and it’s very interesting to see how a hobby turned into a small family business to a notable brand in a matter of a few years. And the science behind making their products is definitely fascinating. And at the end, you get to sample their delicious bourbon and gin. I bought three bottles as gifts this past Christmas and try to keep some on hand at the house. I recommend stocking your cabinet with some fine local offerings from the people at Watershed.

My first distillery tour, and it was great experience!
Of course they talk about the process of making the spirits and the have tastings at the end.
More so, it was interesting to hear the story of how the company started and their vision for the years to come. Gets you in that entrepreneur spirit.

Recently took the distillery tour with some friends.
Though I really enjoyed the whole tour, some in my party thought it was a bit dull. I personally loved hearing about all the hoops you have to jump through before you can distill and sell booze in Ohio. The owner was young and personable, and I found myself rooting for his business’ success by the end of the tour. The tour WAS packed, but so what? Crowds are a great way to detect quality, IMO.
Loved the samples of their gin, bourbon barrel gin, vodka and bourbon. I purchased a bottle of bourbon to bring back to Indianapolis — damn good bourbon! I hope that Watershed continues to branch out into new markets.
This is certainly not the bourbon trail — but it’s a fun couple of hours to spend in Columbus.

A cute little distillery hidden amongst some warehouses. Take a tour (check daily deal sites as they run promos frequently.)
Watershed makes my favorite gin! And the BOURBON BARREL AGED GIN?! To DIE for. Not a big fan of the vodka, though.

I purchased Groupons for my husband and I to go on a tour of Watershed. We’re both beer/​alcohol enthusiasts and we generally enjoy tours of factories and learning how things are made. As a bonus, we live just a few blocks from the distillery, so it seemed like a slam-​dunk.
The tour was ABSOLUTELY PACKED. The distillery is TINY and they need to put a limit on how many people they take on a tour. Or they need to lower their current limit. There were probably 25 – 30 people in our tour group, and the space should really only hold about a dozen people. Maximum.
The tour guide was decent, but he talked a lot about the history of alcohol-​control in Ohio and about the process Watershed had to go through to get approved to sell liquor. He talked VERY little about the actual production of their liquors, which is what I was more interested in.
Worst of all, there was nothing actually going on in the «factory» side of the tour. There were some empty vats and some full barrels sitting around. But there was nothing to actually see besides the warehouse-​like space and some of the inactive machinery.
In all, it was a fairly boring experience. I might have been pleased if the tour were free or if our group was MUCH smaller. If you can get a free tour, I’d take the opportunity. But don’t waste your money on such a lame experience.

Stopped by Watershed for the release of their new bourbon barrel gin and, though it was raging hot, had a good time.
This little distillery does a great job grassrooting their product: local restaurants of repute stock their product mainly through the hard work of the owners. On the tour I was informed that they often race around town between distilling stops to peddle the bottles, hurrying from place to place before the tank overflows or whatever… You can tell they care.
The tour is great — it’s cheap, you learn a lot, you get to play Swedish drinking games, and you feel better about yourself for supporting what I think is one of the best gins in the land.

Watershed makes some of the best gin that I have ever had. Punctuated!
I was at the distillery last night for the release of their Bourbon Barrel Gin — which is exactly what it sounds like. You might be thinking, «Bourbon gin? That just sounds… wrong.» I thought the same too, until I sampled it. To be honest, I still haven’t really figured it out yet, but I know its good. Well played Watershed, well played.
They knew how to host an event too. Everyone working for them was super nice and helpful to the mob of people that showed up to clog up their parking lot. Try their products sometime; I think you will enjoy them.
*Note: Watershed Bourbon is coming in November. Get excited!

Had this gin and vodka at a Unilocal event and it was fantastic! Toured the distillery today and while the tour wasn’t all that interesting, it was nice to check out how this stuff is made and what makes it different from the rest. Regardless, and this is coming from someone who usually only drinks wine, these guys are making some pretty good spirits. The gin is pretty unique and even if you’re one of those people who swears that they hate gin, this one might just change your mind.

Looking for something new to do? Take a tour of this micro-​distillery! You’ll learn step-​by-​step what it takes to make each product. Watershed really is a great local business with friendly and knowledgeable owners. I won’t claim to be an expert on vodka or gin, but I found them both to be fantastic. You can find them at many bars around town. Visit their website to see where you can purchase.

Just did a tour of this local micro-distillery.They are making vodka, gin, and bourbon. The tours are very reasonably price and it is neat to go behind the scenes and see how they produce these spirits. After the tour they offer tastings which is a great way to see what the product is like and to learn more of it. Greg also talked about drink recipes and local businesses that are selling their vodka and gin (bourbon is in the barrel still being made for a couple more years). They also offer recipes on their Facebook page.
Very Cool!

Hot on the heals of Middle West Spirits is Watershed Distillery. While I still have to try the former, I recently bought a bottle of this distillery’s Gin. I’d had a number of different gins including Beefeater and Broker’s and this one is my absolute favorite. The botanicals come through just enough to be quite noticeable (citrus peel and jamaica pepper were the most recognizable), but not overpowering and one bottle barely lasted the weekend. One friend who’s something of an aficionado of gin was quickly won over. Aside from the gin they also produce vodka. It’s $ 27 a bottle, but worth the splurge for its quality and the fact that it’s made right here locally is just nice bonus. They’re a great addition to the 5thxNW neighborhood just north of Grandview and if you’re fortunate enough to live near High St there are numerous places to purchase it.