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    Middle West Installing 55-Foot Whiskey & Bourbon Still in The Short North

    You may have already noticed some construction under way at the home of Middle West Spirits in The Short North, but the new project was officially announced with full details at a media event this morning. The local microdistillery is expanding their production facility with a new 55-foot tall whiskey and bourbon still that requires the tall new addition in the back of the building. The new equipment is allowing the company to grow its capacity significantly from 130 gallons per day to over 10,000 gallons per day.

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    “We’re multiplying our capacity by 90 as a company, going from 10,000 gallons per year to 250,000 per year,” said Middle West co-founder Brady Konya. “Of course, we’re still staying small. Some distilleries in Kentucky produce two million gallons per day. So our capacity is still tiny relative to industry standard, but for craft distilleries, we’ll be one of the largest in country.”

    In addition to the increased volume, the $3.1 million upgrade will allow Middle West to expand into making gin, brandy and rum. 

    “We’ll have three independent stills operating, with one dedicated to specialized products,” said Konya. “That one will run separate from our other equipment, so there will never be an issue of cross contamination.”

    While work is under way at the Short North facility, Middle West has relocated its barreling, storing, blending, water cutting and bottling operations to a 23,000 square foot building in Milo-Grogan. That new warehouse will have the capacity to store up to 15,000 barrels in a temperature-controlled environment once completed.

    “We actually closed the distillery to the public quietly at the beginning of April to start relocating our offices and equipment — it would have been impossible to do that level of construction while staying there,” explained Konya. “Our Short North space is a small footprint for distillery, but having that frontage is so incredibly valuable to us and we’re committed to being a long-term tenant of High Street corridor.”

    Konya added that a bar and restaurant component is also in the works for the Short North location, and more details are expected to be announced on that soon.

    For more information, visit www.middlewestspirits.com.

    Renderings by Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design.

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    Walker Evans
    Walker Evanshttps://columbusunderground.com
    Walker Evans is the co-founder of Columbus Underground, along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.
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