Three Rivers Distilling distilled our first spirits in March 2016. Since then, we’ve learned a lot. Faces have changed. Our physical footprint is larger, with the opening of our restaurant and bar in early 2018. We’re distilling more spirits than just the clear spirits we created when we opened. Over the past year, we’ve spent time focusing on improving our product – the process, taste, appearance, and branding. In short, we’ve grown in so many ways. We’re ready for people to taste what we’ve spent months and months refining, and to see who we are, now.
Our distillers have made great strides in improving our spirits. They’ve worked with consultants from Kentucky – home to the experts in the aged-spirits industry. They helped us transition our spirits into what you’ll taste today. We feel our new products are far superior to what we released in our first year. As a result, we wanted to develop packaging that showcased these improvements.
When we’d visit retailers, it was hard for us to immediately spot our bottles on shelves. It was challenging to read our company or spirit name on a bar shelf or a liquor store shelf from a distance. Bartenders also expressed the shape of the bottle was too wide for them to comfortably handle when mixing drinks. Our staff discussed the current branding and concluded it didn’t reflect who we’d become. We turned our focus to who we’d become, and how to put that on a label and into a bottle that people would want to pick up.
We wanted our logo to be easily recognizable from a distance. We wanted our labels to tell the story of who we are, with local ties represented on every one of our bottles. Each label states “Three Rivers Distilling Co. creates authentically hand-crafted spirits in small batches from locally-sourced materials and ingredients.” Each bottle is hand-labeled by one of our staff members; you’ll find their initials on every bottle.
We’ve also added a new spirit to our lineup: Lakeside Gin. Our original gin was called Summit City Gin. It contained 14 botanicals. Our distillers refined the process for our gin, using just four botanicals. Lakeside Gin is an aromatic, Plymouth-style gin distilled with juniper and floral botanicals, creating a semi-dry gin with a light-bodied finish. It’s named after one of Fort Wayne’s beloved parks.
As a small distillery, we allow ourselves to create small batch spirits and experiment. Our distillers created Distillery Dog Bourbon, and Hint of Jala’ Vodka. These limited-release spirits are not available in distribution at retail stores. Stop in to purchase a bottle or have our bartender mix a drink for you using these spirits!
Distillery Dog Bourbon: The first in our Distillery Dog series, this is a high rye bourbon. Expect spicy notes with a smooth finish. Quantities for batch #1 are extremely limited.
Hint of Jala’ Vodka: You’ll find a perfect blend of heat and flavor for this smooth jalapeño vodka. It’s perfect for a Bloody Mary, and delicious enough to be served neat.
As Fort Wayne’s first and only distillery since prohibition, we are more dedicated than ever to creating authentically hand-crafted spirits in small batches from locally sourced materials and ingredients. We are 100% grain to bottle, which means the entire distilling and aging process takes place in our facility, a rarity among craft distilleries across the country.
We hope you’ll try one our improved and refined spirits soon, whether that’s picking up a bottle on a shelf at a retailer, or coming into our restaurant to enjoy a meal and a cocktail.