District Distilling Closing Upstairs Restaurant For The Summer. “Will resume operations in September 2018 under new management and with a new concept”

1414-1418 U Street, NW

From a press release:

“District Distilling, located at 1414-1418 U Street, NW, 20009, will temporarily suspend restaurant operations on July 4 so management can shift their focus to the production and distribution of its award-winning line of spirits. The restaurant will resume operations in September 2018 under new management and with a new concept.

District Distilling’s tasting room and bar will remain open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday throughout the summer months. Additionally, the restaurant, tasting room bar and distillery will continue to be available for private events. During this transition, Rex & Regina Events, a boutique event management firm, will oversee private parties for the property.

“The spirits side of our business, led by Head Distiller Matt Strickland, has grown faster than we could have hoped for,” states District Distilling Co-Owner Michael Cummings. “Our wild-crafted gin line featuring unique, handcrafted junipers (WildJune Western-Style and Checkerbark American Dry Style gins) is gaining steam in new markets including Texas and within the United Kingdom. We just released our Buzzard Point Barrel-Aged Rum and we’re on target to release the first of our Estate Whiskeys this fall. Our goal is to make our award-winning line of craft-distilled artisan spirits available throughout the country and abroad. We look forward to announcing our new restaurant partner this summer, and re-opening the restaurant this September.”

Details on each spirit in District Distilling’s portfolio are listed below:

WildJune Western-Style Gin is uniquely American, made using the wild west’s Red Berry juniper, wildcrafted from its native habitat in the West Texas mountains in harmony with ten other botanicals to create an uncommonly herbaceous gin. As with all District Distilling’s gins, WildJune features wildcrafted junipers hand-picked by Co-Owner Molly Cummings.

Checkerbark American Dry Style Gin has an herbal and floral nose with intense savory and bold juniper notes thanks to the use of the unique Checkerbark Juniper, which is wildcrafted by hand by District Distilling Co-Owner Molly Cummings and delivers a pronounced savory flavor. District Distilling uses its signature Corridor Vodka for the base of Checkerbark Gin.

Checkerbark Barrel Rested Gin is made by taking Checkerbark American Dry gin and letting it slumber (for up to six months) in new and used oak bourbon barrels. The result is a bold gin that melds oak notes with floral and juniper accents.

Corridor Vodka is noted for its neutral yet light and crisp flavor. Its round mouthfeel with hints of fragrant vanilla and uniquely creamy finish has made it a favorite of those of who have previously sworn off the staple spirit. It is twice distilled entirely in-house for the best yield, leading to the cleanest possible taste.

Buzzard Point Rum is D.C.’s first locally-made rum since prohibition and is made by incorporating mashed panela sugar, a seldom used ingredient primarily found in South America and lauded for its creamy caramel and sweet brown sugar nose. Buzzard Point finishes with notes of vanilla, roasted sweet potato and sweet airy marshmallow. It is twice distilled and fermented using Scotch whisky yeast, a method harkening back to the distilling tradition of the colonial era.

Buzzard Point (Barrel-Aged) Rum is a barrel-aged take on our colonial-style white rum. Fermented Panela sugar imported from small farms in Colombia and yeast typically used to ferment scotch whisky make the basis for this rum. The fermented sugars are distilled twice to 140-proof before it’s barreled at 104-proof in five-year-old Tennessee bourbon barrels and aged for 18+ months. The result is a spirit with grassy and tropical fruit notes of vanilla, honey and cinnamon.

Backroom Bourbon has a unique and distinct character with notes of fresh sweet corn, smooth caramel, vanilla, smoky oak and rich cocoa. While the distilling process for District Distilling’s estate bourbon will take several years, Strickland, a whiskey enthusiast, released Backroom Bourbon, a blend sourced from several different regions, aged from a range of three to eight years.

Backroom Rye is blend of four-year-old straight ryes, resulting in an interplay of vanilla, tobacco, leather spice and banana bread for a complex spirit, deep in flavor and smooth in finish.

C&O Tradesman Whiskey is a tribute to our founding fathers as it harnesses the strength of different regional flavors. Our craftsmen blend whiskey from the American Southeast and Midwest and finish them in the Chesapeake in seasonal barrels from wine, beer and spirit regions throughout the world. Flavors of corn, caramel, vanilla, cocoa and a hint of peppery rye that sips smoothly.

Embassy Row – Small Batch, Experimental Spirits is a line of District Distilling products designed to explore niche spirits categories and showcase Matt Strickland’s deft hand in the art of distillation. “The thriving international community and diversity of cultures is one of my favorite parts about living in Washington DC, and definitely an inspiration for this label” says Matt Strickland, head distiller at District Distilling Co. “Our Embassy Row label is our way of using the distillery to explore and experiment with international spirits and liqueurs.” The Embassy Row series features a Grappa, Crème de Menthe and an Agave Spirit (release date: 2019).

District Distilling opened in August 2016 as the nation’s capital’s first united Distillery + Kitchen + Bar.”