Vodka? Check. Gin? Check. Bourbon? Check.
Italian liqueur made from Ohio-grown Walnuts? Check.
Watershed Distillery is no stranger to stepping outside the boundaries of traditional flavors. The company’s launch of their Bourbon Barrel Gin raised a few eyebrows when it was first introduced in 2012. So it should be expected that their new product “Nocino” will turn a few heads when the walnut-based liqueur gets spotted on local shelves upon release.
Nocino is being described as the company’s first seasonal flavor, which is a fitting announcement for a day that boasted the first snow flurries of the year. The product will see a limited release, and Watershed owners Greg Lehman and Dave Rigo think that it will be a perfect fit for the Central Ohio market.
“Nocino was first brought to us by Charlie Tweel, a local Doctor from Upper Arlington,” said Rigo. “He had us over to his house and shared how he makes the liqueur and we fell in love with the product and the process. Greg and I grew up in Columbus and were surrounded by Walnut trees, but little did we know when we were kids that they could be used to make such delicious liqueur.”
Originating from Northern Italian recipes, Watershed’s Nocino is an aged spirit made from unripe black walnuts, blended with sugar and spices. The result is described as a nutty, dark molasses-like liqueur that can be consumed as a digestif, mixed into a cocktail, or added as a topping for desserts.
“There was a moment when we were sitting on Charlie’s porch, enjoying his Nocino over Vanilla Bean ice cream, that Dave and I looked at each other and knew we had to make this product,” added Lehman.
Nocino will be available for purchase in December and retails for $29.95.
For more information, visit www.watersheddistillery.com.