County Seat Spirits, the Lehigh Valley’s first distillery since Prohibition, is joining the Bridgeworks Enterprise Center, with plans to begin manufacturing aged and un-aged whiskeys, vodka, gin and rum upon licensure.
“We are very excited to have the Lehigh Valley’s first distillery choose Allentown and the Bridgeworks Enterprise Center as the location to launch its venture,” says Scott Unger, executive director of the Allentown Economic Development Corporation (AEDC). “Craft spirits fits perfectly in the niche we have developed, that includes a craft meadery — The Colony Meadery — and a microbrewery, HiJinx Brewing Company.”
(For more on Bridgeworks, check out this feature in Keystone Edge.)
“The Lehigh Valley is already home to some of the region’s finest bars, restaurants, sports venues, attractions and microbreweries,” adds County Seat Spirits co-founder Anthony Brichta. “Yet, the Lehigh Valley doesn’t yet have a distillery to call its own. County Seat Spirits will fill that void.”
“The market for high-quality spirits is strong and should remain so for the foreseeable future,” explains John Rowe, County Seat’s other co-founder. “The timing is right for us to get established in a growing industry and to be part of the revival of craft distilling in Pennsylvania.”
Rowe and Brichta will spend the next few months navigating the licensing process at both the federal and state levels, while purchasing equipment and fitting out their space at the center. The company hopes to be licensed by the end of the year so that it can begin production at Bridgeworks. Plans also call for a tasting room, open to the public on weekends for distillery tours, cocktails and direct sales. Their initial market will be local bars and restaurants, says Brichta.
Pennsylvania has a long history of distilling dating back before the Revolutionary War. However, all of the Commonwealth’s distilleries were wiped out during Prohibition. In 2005, Philadelphia Distilling became the first Pennsylvania distillery since the 1920s. A 2012 change in state law made it easier for small distilleries to operate, and since that time a number of successful operations have been launched throughout the state.
Source: Anthony Brichta, County Seat Spirits and AEDC
Writer: Elise Vider