LAKEWOOD, Ohio - For years Ohio has had an established wine scene with a handful of recognized appellations throughout the state. Then came beer, with craft breweries gaining a still-burgeoning foothold in the last 30 years. And as slowly as you can sip an aperitif or swirl an after-dinner drink, distilleries are popping up.

The latest in Northeast Ohio is Western Reserve Distillers, the state's only craft certified organic distillery located on the property of the old Fridrich Moving and Storage at Madison and Ferndale avenues. The Fridrich family owned the property for more than 100 years, said Kevin Thomas, one of the owners of Western Reserve Distillers.

Thomas and his wife Ann are aiming to capitalize on Clevelanders' thirst for both quality craft cocktails but also on the continued focus on sustainability in the food and drink market.

The building, which dates to 1915, has undergone serious renovation and rebuilding efforts.

They left the bones. They had old paint vapor-blasted but left a patina. They installed a polymer floor system (flooring in breweries and distilleries is paramount for both support and drainage.) Overall, the distillery is occupying 25,000 to 26,000 square feet.

"It's not a small feat." Thomas said. "You have to make a serious commitment to (being) organic." That means paying attention to boiler equipment, locally grown ingredients and the facility design.

Opening is expected to be late August or early September, he said. The patio - which is expected to be done by Friday, Aug. 10 - is one of the last pieces to be put in place, he added.

All the work culminates four years of planning and a year and a half of construction, he said.

The exterior is a modern, burnt sienna-looking bamboo, contrasting with the old brick used in the main building. Inside, hand-built German equipment - including a 3,000-liter copper pot still sits, stout and commanding at 15 feet. The design has three Ts in mind: Tours, tastings and transparency.

Tasting tours are Fridays through Sundays and cost $10. The equipment can be seen through windows from both inside and on the street.

The spirits are all grain, estate-grown from Twin Parks Farm in West Salem in Wayne County.

The first product is vodka, 80 proof (40 percent alcohol) and a smidgen less expensive than Tito's. Gin and whiskey have federal approval; he is waiting on the state's OK. There are corn-based and spelt-based versions of each. And all of it is crafted on site. If the operation were running 24 hours, it could produce 120 cases a day.

"It's absolutely critical to maintain control of the process," he said.

He added: "We want to make sure it's affordable and bars can build a cocktail program with it."

One of the challenges before the federal excise-tax reform, he said, was that previously it was very difficult to reach an affordable price point. But, he said, "It does lower the threshold" to help bars start a crack-cocktail program. If you can build it off of Tito's you can build it off of us."

What Thomas has built on is a love of spirits and a background in the food industry. He worked for 25 years in the food-service division of Nestle in charge of innovations and designing products.

He is the master distiller and his wife Ann handles marketing. They own 82 percent of the business with minority investors making up the rest. Son Jake is assistant distiller.

Spirits from craft distilleries are making up a razor-thin segment of the industry - about 1 to 2 percent, Thomas said.

"But," he said, "it's starting to pick up steam."

"I was fascinated with it. We started looking at it and ... saw this as still being at the ground level," Thomas said.

That ground level is occupied by only a few places in Northeast Ohio. Seven Brothers Distilling in Painesville has several variations of whiskey, gin, rum and vodka. Tom's Foolery Distillery in Burton offers bourbon, rye and applejack. And Cleveland Whiskey uses a proprietary aging process for its products.

The now-defunct Portside Brewery grabbed Cuyahoga County's first distilling license issued in years when it opened. Forest City Brewery in Cleveland's Duck Island neighborhood is in the process of creating a distilling program.

In the end, it's affordability, quality and sustainability that Thomas wants to achieve with every drop.

"We try to produce the smoothest product possible," he said.

More on Western Reserve Distillers

* It's at 14221 Madison Ave., Lakewood, across from El Tango Grill.

* In addition to drinks, they will sell bottles of their spirits.

* A full kitchen will serve Modern American cuisine with chef Eddie Tancredi, formerly of Adega.

* Reclaimed barn wood lines the bar, which is equipped with USB ports, electrical outlets and purse hooks. "It can still look like a bar," Thomas said, "but people cannot function without a cell phone."

* The place will have a full liquor license so expect beer, wine and guests spirits - even competitors. Western Reserve Distillers welcomes comparisons. "Part of the craft movement is to educate consumers," Thomas said.

* Heidelberg Distributing Co. is handling sales (when it comes to spirits, distributors coordinate sales while the state handles distribution via Contract Liquor Agencies.)

* Western Reserve Distillers has distribution deals with The Rail locations as well as Melt Bar & Grilled in Columbus.