Poles were erected and became symbols of protest by farmers in western Pennsylvania during the period of the Whiskey Rebellion from 1791 to 1794.
They were known as liberty poles.
As a way to honor this time in history, a family from Cecil in Washington County named their business Liberty Pole Spirits. The 7-year-old whiskey distillery recently expanded to open what owners call a “state-of-the-art whiskey campus” in North Strabane.
“Our brand celebrates and honors the whiskey rebellion heritage of Western Pennsylvania,” said Jim Hough, co-founder with wife Ellen and their sons Rob and Kevin. “What is unique about us is that we only do whiskey. We don’t do vodka or gin or other spirits.”
The establishment had been located in Downtown Washington, Pa. The business has been growing, creating a need for more space.
The new location houses several buildings. There is a five-story barrel warehouse that consists of four 1,000-gallon fermenters along with a 1,000-gallon cooker.
It also has an expansive production facility with two traditional copper pot stills, a 1,000-gallon stripping still, and a 600-gallon spirit still. The colonial-themed tasting room is known as the meetinghouse.
A spirit shop sells the lineup of Liberty Pole whiskey, plus an array of merchandise.
They serve four core hand-crafted Pennsylvania whiskeys –Monongahela rye, corn, wheated bourbon and peated bourbon using locally grown grain. They make craft cocktails and a tavern-fare menu features Johnnycake, a bread made with cornmeal, and lamb and chicken meat pies, and other foods made in colonial times. There are also pork-based charcuteries and apple dumplings available.
Hough said they welcome re-enactors.
“We want to be a destination for whiskey tourism,” Hough said. “We are delighted to invite whiskey enthusiasts, history buffs, connoisseurs and curious minds alike to join us as we embark on this exciting new chapter.”
Liberty Pole Spirits is located at 800 Adios Dr., North Strabane.Hours are noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday, noon to 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. There are weekly tours available. Book here.
Details: LibertyPoleSpirits.com
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne by email at jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .