Echo Spirits Distilling coming to Grandview in 2019

Written by on December 22, 2018 in Liquor - 2 Comments

The former Four String Brewing taproom in the Grandview area won’t sit vacant for long as a new distillery is moving in with plans to start distilling by summer 2019.

Echo Spirits Distilling Co is owned by longtime friends Joe Bidinger and Nikhil Sharoff. Bidinger, who has been homebrewing since 2008, originally wanted to launch a brewery but pivoted in part because of the surge of breweries opening in Central Ohio.

“The single two biggest influences on our decision to switch from brewing to distilling were Middle West Spirits and Watershed Distillery, going on tours, hearing about the craft distilling industry and being completely enthralled with the process,” said Bidinger.

The two took classes at Heritage Distillery in Washington and have been searching for a suitable location for almost two years. Bidinger, who will be manning the still, will be focusing on unique styles of spirits not produced by most other Ohio distilleries, including a rum.

“We’re leaning toward a funky carribean-style rum, something with a lot of flavor,” said Bidinger. “There’s a lot of mass-produced rum on the market that doesn’t have a lot of flavor, think of Bacardi or something like that, where it’s great with a mixer but it’s not really good for sipping on its own. We’re excited to show people what rum can be.”

They also plan to make jenever, a dutch spirit akin to gin which they discovered on a European vacation.

“To make gin, you make vodka – you make a high proof, pretty flavorless spirit and add all your botanials to it, and you have to use at least 51% juniper,” said Bidinger. “To make jenever, you make a malt whiskey, so instead of a very neutral flavorless spirit, you make a very flavor-forward, malty, grain tasty spirit, and then add a lot of the same botanicals to it. Juniper has to be part of it, but it doesn’t have to be 51%, so you don’t have that complaint of it tasting like pine or like licking a tree.”

“Future products we’d look to would be rye whiskey… and brandy, some of these classic spirits that people used to drink but are not really part of the post-prohibition American cocktail culture,” said Bidinger.

Echo Spirits has a 200 gallon still on order and hopes to be producing spirits by early summer and to have their taproom open before the end of 2019.

Echo Spirits Distilling Co will be located at 985 W Sixth Ave.

About the Author

Cheryl Harrison. Editor of Drink Up Columbus. Co-Founder of the Columbus Ale Trail.

2 Comments on "Echo Spirits Distilling coming to Grandview in 2019"

  1. James Clifford December 31, 2018 at 9:13 PM · Reply

    Super excited to see more Ohio spirits

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