One Eight Distilling
One Eight Distilling makes locally sourced, grain-to-glass spirits in Northeast, DC
One Eight Distilling opened in 2015 in the Ivy City neighborhood in Northeast, DC. Their name comes from Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution, which established the District of Columbia as the seat of the United States government. Their spirits use locally sourced grain and (with the exception of their Untitled series) are produced grain-to-glass in DC.
One Eight Distilling’s Rock Creek Rye and Rock Creek Bourbon are the first to be made entirely in DC since Prohibition. Although I am not normally a vodka drinker, their District Made Vodka (DMV) is made from rye and is excellent. Their final spirit is Ivy City Gin, named after the neighborhood the distillery is located in. The Untitled series follows the mantra “no distillation without experimentation” (a play on DC’s motto “taxation without representation”) and blends spirits sourced from other distilleries.
Tours of One Eight Distilling last about an hour. The tour comes with a tasting of three spirits, a shot glass, and a discount on a bottle purchase. The quality of the tour varies depending on the tour guide. On my visit, the guide primarily shared about the distillery’s partnerships with other local businesses (like DC Brau and the Harper Macaw Chocolate Factory). I was interested to learn, though, that One Eight Distilling gets 70 percent of their power from solar panels, making them the only distillery in DC running on a majority of solar power. Given the cost of the tour (which used to be free!) and the varying quality depending on the tour guide, it is hard for me to recommend it.
While I don’t recommend the tour, it is definitely worth the trip to One Eight Distilling to spend some time in their tasting room getting a cocktail or whiskey flight. Their bartenders are excellent and spend time talking with you to learn what you like and don’t like before making a recommendation. Groups can play a board game and get a soft pretzel while hanging out in the cool space. It can get loud and crowded on Saturday afternoons, so go early in the day or later in the evening.
One Eight recently rebranded all their spirits under the “District Made” name with eight-sided bottles. It’s a shame to lose their other DC inspired names, and I have not yet sampled the new brand to see if any changes have been made to the recipes or distilling process.
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Address
1135 Okie St NE
Metro Station
- NoMa-Gallaudet U (RD)
- Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood (RD)
Directions
The distillery is about a mile and a half walk from either the NoMa or Rhode Island metro stops. I recommend either walking from NoMa or taking the D8 bus from Rhode Island.
Cost
$15.00 for a tour
Hours
Tours on Saturdays at 1:30, 3:00, and 4:30 pm
Tasting room open on Saturday from 1:00 – 10:00 pm and Sunday from 2:00 – 6:00 pm
Length of Adventure
1-2 hours
Website
http://www.oneeightdistilling.com/
