Is there anything Atlanta's Hometown Whiskey Distillery, ASW, can't do when it comes to whiskey? They studied up on the unique Irish Pure Pot Still Whiskies we've come to grow and love (think Redbreast & Green Spot), and made their own Irish-Style Whiskey the old Irish way, using a combination of unmalted barley and malted barley grown by a 6th Generation Family Farm in Ireland, then triple-distilled it into a smooth-sipping masterpiece. And what could be more fitting than the name Druid Hill, a nod to both the Celtic priests of Irish yore, and to the oak-lined Atlanta neighborhood just around the corner from their distillery? Side note: they love their puns at ASW and insist that puns get funnier with every drink. You should join them to test their theory. ASW Distillery has put together this exclusive tour & tasting package for us, just in time for the holidays. (Won't that beautiful green label and delicious whiskey go well with your decorating?)

What To Expect

• Five tickets for samples and/or half-cocktails from ASW's whiskey & cocktail collection, including Druid Hill Irish-Style Triple Pot Still Whiskey, Fiddler Unison Bourbon, Tire Fire (their brand new Heavily Peated Single Malt Whiskey), and their galaxy-renowned "2nd Best Old Fashioned". Note that cocktails are 2 tickets a piece.
• An in-depth tour of ASW's distillery where you'll discover how their Bourbons, Ryes & Malt Whiskies, among others, are made
• A special discount on anything in the ASW store, including whiskey glasses, decanters, and small oak barrels to barrel age your spirits at home
• A bottle of ASW Distillery's newest release, Druid Hill, a triple-distilled Irish-Style Whiskey that drinks like the famed Pure Pot Still Whiskies that put Ireland on the map for whiskey

Scout Notes

ASW Distillery's Head Distiller Justin Manglitz got his start perfecting his booze-making techniques over 18 years ago. Though he'd always loved Irish Pure Pot Still Whiskies, he had to study up to figure out how to efficiently ferment unmalted barley (a customary grain in Irish-Style Whiskies) and how to efficiently distill the spirit the third time that has defined Irish Whiskies for years. Never one to back down from a challenge, Justin ended up rounding out ASW's whiskey portfolio with an Irish-Style sipper that carries a personality all its own, having matured in new, charred American white oak barrels (rather than used barrels as is common with Irish whiskies). In ancient Ireland, mistletoe was venerated by the Druids as the most sacred of all plants for its ability to increase fertility. While various laws prevent ASW from making similar claims for their Druid Hill Triple Pot Still Whiskey, it is recommended you buy a bottle this holiday season to conduct empirical research for yourself.

The result is Druid Hill, and it's downright superb.

As part of the experience, enjoy some of the best Old Fashioneds, Sazeracs, and Mules (using Atlanta's 18.21 Bitters) in the city. Plus, you'll go home with a bottle of ASW Distillery's Tire Fire Heavily Peated Single Malt.

Here's your chance to go behind the scenes and learn how ASW crafts all this good stuff with our exclusive distillery tour and tasting. You'll learn about their distillation process, getting a peek at their 15-foot-tall Scottish-style copper pot stills that were custom-made for ASW Distillery by Kentucky's Vendome Copper and Brass Works. You'll also get a walk through ASW's rickhouse, which is home to over 120 barrels of whiskey being aged to perfection.

And then onto the good stuff: the tour concludes with five tickets for tastings or half-cocktails (plus more available for purchase, if you're in the groove), where you can choose from Ameireaganach Single Malt, Duality Double Malt, Fiddler Bourbon, Resurgens Rye, or one of their feature cocktails, including those fine Old Fashioneds, Sazeracs, and Mules we mentioned.

Enjoy your libations at their impressive brushed walnut bar, relax in a leather armchair in their lounge area, or savor your sips while enjoying a game of cornhole (if they don't have it out, feel free to ask them to get the board out).