Montgomery County is unique in that it is home to three popular distilleries, in all corners of the county, offering very distinctive spirits and philosophies.

However, they all agreed that when the pandemic hit, it was time to pivot and offer different ways for their customers to enjoy their spirits.

Manatawny Still Works

“While they may be operating at a reduced capacity, our distillery and tasting room in Pottstown, our tasting room in East Passyunk, and our Reading Terminal Market booth are all open for business. You can find our hours of business online,” explains Max Pfeffer, Master Distiller at Manatawny Still Works, headquartered in Pottstown.

“We’re proud to have kept ourselves going throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. 2021 will see Manatawny continue to release new products. We’ll sling great cocktails and stock our core products in Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores,” says Max.

Over the past year, we discovered the joy of virtual events, which we plan to continue to offer each month. While we started these events just to keep everyone safe, we’ve found that they’re incredibly convenient and insightful for everyone,” he says.

At MSW, they’ve engaged their mascot Piper to help out with placing doggies in their forever homes.

“This year, we’ve also refocused our community efforts. We’re featured on television for our support of Philabundance for our Piper’s Pals partnership with the Brandywine Valley SPCA. We’re fortunate to have these opportunities to support the causes that matter so much to us,” Max says.

Boardroom Spirits

Chris Roessler of Lansdale’s Boardroom Spirits definitely learned how to change things up during the pandemic.

“We have done well all things considered, and are grateful for the support our customers and community has provided us,” he said.

“We continue to do curbside pickup, local delivery, and shipping within PA. Be on the lookout for new product releases that include seasonal bottled and canned cocktails,” Chris notes.

Customers can attend cocktail workshops or schedule a private event since the tasting room will not be available for regular bar service right now.

People can book a private event by emailing Chris Roessler or get workshop tickets here.

“We are also creating a native garden, both as a sitting space and a source of ingredients for our cocktail program,” Chris explains. “Our cocktail workshops continue to evolve and rotate with seasonal ingredients inspired by our native garden. We are also working on defining our new loyalty program that will launch later this year.”

Five Saints Distilling and International Spirits

John George, owner of Five Saints Distilling and International Spirits, LLC is still rocking away with his team over in Norristown. “We are continuing renovations of the Firehouse’s second and third floors and prepping the kitchen to serve casual American Firehouse Fare quite soon,” Joh says. Think fun comfort food! The third floor will then be available for events.

They also are incorporating to-go cocktails into their day, mixed, and pick up on-site in Norristown or Farmers Markets.

These distilleries also know the importance of giving back to their communities.

“We are planning some large, public ticketed events throughout the warmer months of this year, as well as working with several charities and utilize each event as an opportunity to give back to our community,” Chris notes.

Support your local distilleries, and try them all! Which spirit is your favorite?

*Please check with each brewpub, distillery, or winery regarding food and beverage availability, current takeout/pickup hours, mask requirements, social distancing, and other COVID-19 protocols.

Please respect the establishments that you visit.