Dayton Barrel Works
Overview of the Distillery
Dayton Barrel Works is a small, artisanal distillery and cocktail bar in Dayton that ties its spirits closely to the city's history. In a setting of historic buildings along a former canal, they produce bourbon, rye, single barrel malt, gin, and specialty products such as a coffee-infused vodka. The distillery blends small-batch production with customer involvement through a backer program, where members gain access to releases and early purchasing opportunities for new editions.
History
Working with the Site's History
The distillery sits in buildings by a former canal and highlights the area's long history in its identity. The products carry a reference to 'Settled 1796' as a tribute to the place seen as the start of the site's history, even though the distillery itself is considerably younger. The buildings and the historic environment are part of the storytelling around both brands and the visitor experience.
Prohibition-Era Buildings
The texts note that some of the buildings used were erected during the Prohibition era, and that the distillery draws on this physical and cultural heritage in its brand and product work.
Raw Materials and Production
The production approach is craft-oriented and focuses on sourcing raw materials such as grains, yeast, barrels, and botanicals. The range includes straight rye, single barrel malt, several bourbons, a distiller’s blend, as well as spirits such as gin (including an Armagnac barrel-aged gin) and a coffee-infused vodka. The distillery works with small batches and single-barrel releases and offers an active Barrel & Thief backer program, where members experience ongoing draws during maturation, taste new make, and try different casks, and have the opportunity to select and reserve bottles. The program highlights variations in distillation seasons, mash bills, and barrel types as part of product development and selection.
Maturation and Barrel Types
Maturation takes place primarily in barrels, and the distillery experiments with different cask types. A concrete example is a gin that is aged or finished in Armagnac casks. For bourbon and whiskey production, they work with barrels over time, and the Barrel & Thief program gives members the opportunity to follow the maturation through special draws and choose specific barrels for later bottling. The distillery also makes used bourbon barrels available through the backer program.
Whiskeys
The range includes a number of our own spirits: straight bourbon and straight rye, a distiller’s blend, Fable 7-Year-Old Straight Bourbon, Myth Single Barrel Malt, as well as single barrel straight bourbon in barrel-proof iterations. In addition, special products such as Harper’s Siren (Armagnac barrel-aged gin) and Old Reliable (a coffee-infused vodka) are highlighted. Rubicon Creek appears as a named line in the whiskey range, and several products are presented as small-batch or single-barrel releases with exclusive access for backer members.
| Whiskey | Type / Series | Alcohol | Age | Cask Type & Style | Flavor Profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubicon Creek Straight Rye Whiskey | Rye Whiskey | 47.5 % | Rubicon Creek is the brand/name for the distillery's rye releases and is part of their lineup of own whiskeys. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Straight Bourbon Whiskey | Bourbon | One of the distillery's foundational whiskey types, listed among "Our Spirits" as a fixed part of the range. | Current; Core Range | |||
| Distiller’s Blend | A blend from the distillery, listed as part of the fixed range. | Current; Core Range | ||||
| Fable 7-Year-Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey | Bourbon | 7 years | A named, aged bourbon in the lineup with an indicated 7-year age. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Myth Single Barrel Malt Whiskey | Single Malt | Single barrel malt release from the distillery, listed as one of their core products. | Current; Core Range | |||
| Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Barrel Proof) | Bourbon | Single barrel, barrel-proof bourbon listed as part of the range; the distillery also offers single-barrel selection via the backer program. | Current; Core Range | |||
| Harper’s Siren (Armagnac Barrel-Aged Gin) | Gin | 47.5 % | Armagnac barrels | Armagnac barrel-aged gin, highlighted in the distillery's spirit showcase. | Current | |
| Old Reliable (Vodka with Coffee & Natural Flavors) | Vodka | 28.9 % | Vodka with coffee and natural flavors, listed in the spirit showcase. | Current | ||
| Rubicon Creek Bourbon Batch #1 | Bourbon | Early batch noted as part of the Barrel & Thief backer program benefits (delivered upon signup). | Limited; Exclusive access via Barrel & Thief backer program |
Visit the Distillery
The distillery runs a cocktail bar and public hours are listed as Friday and Saturday from 12 to 11 PM. There is a contact form on the site for inquiries, and particularly active customers can join the Barrel & Thief backer program, which offers intimate evenings with cask draws, tastings during maturation, and bottle selection with the head distiller. The backer program has several levels with varying numbers of annual draws/evenings, storage of chosen bottles for pickup at the distillery, and pre-order options for new releases.
The stated opening hours are Open Friday - Saturday 12 pm - 11 pm.
Philosophy and Craft
Dayton Barrel Works places emphasis on quality in raw materials — grains, yeast, barrels, and botanicals — and ties production to the site's history. They prioritize small-scale production, single-barrel selection, and customer involvement through their backer program, with a focus on letting customers follow the maturation process and gain early access to new releases.
Awards and Recognitions
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Best Craft Spirit Distillery in the U.S. (2024, Named Best Craft Spirit Distillery in the U.S. in 2024)
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Rated Among the Top 2 Craft Spirit Distilleries in the U.S. (2023, Rated Among the Top 2 Craft Spirit Distilleries in the U.S. in 2023)