From the street, you might not ever guess what’s inside this old brick structure – one of the oldest in the city of Buffalo. This is the home of Niagara Distilling Company, and today I was offered the opportunity to explore the 10,000 square foot home of the fledgling company. While the distillery might be “fledgling”, the operation plans on ramping up quickly, once up and running.

Incredibly, the Niagara Distilling Company will have the production capacity of producing 1500 bottles a day, which is exactly what owners Nick Kotrides and Eric Heuser (photo: left) say is one of the keys to the business’s success. Keeping up with demand for in-house sales and regional distribution will be paramount.

Starting with the exterior of the building, the parking lot that extends from the facade to the street, will be transformed into a massive patio courtyard with café tables and umbrellas, awnings and a vantage point of the building (formerly a carriage house and stable). A glass garage door will be added, and the exterior brick will be spruced up to create a welcoming aesthetic – the owners want a look and vibe similar to The Distillery District in Toronto.

Once inside, guests will be met with a sizable tasting room, where they will also be offered a small plate (finger foods) menu and, of course, vodka, gin, bourbon, whiskey and moonshine. A glass wall will separate the “modern day saloon” from the distillery. Those interested in taking tours of the production facility will get a glimpse of the finishing still, a stripping still (2 – 250 gallon stills), an experimental still (50 gallons), fermenting stills (6 – 500 gallons), and a 600 gallon mash tank. Visitors will also be able to view the bottling plant. Those who want to dig a little deeper will be invited to attend distilling seminars.

As for a timeline, as you can see, the building has been painstaking cleared of years of debris pileup. The architectural plans have been finished, the stills are scheduled to arrive on Monday, and work will begin on creating the various interior components that will include a conference room, bottle storage facility (the distillery will open stocked with at least 10,000 bottles), and a sales office (sales to establishments and liquor stores will start regionally and then branch out across NYS). Customers will also be able to purchase bottles on the premises. The distillery will be rentable for private parties and corporate functions.

In the meantime, you can keep up with the build-out progress and announcements leading up to opening day by “liking” Niagara Distilling Company on Facebook. Also learn more about the company by clicking here.

Niagara Distilling Company | 459 Ellicott St | Buffalo, New York 14203 | (716) 886-9457

*Distilling equipment photo – taken off site