Whiskey, Gin, & Rum, Oh My! Philly Distillery Serves Up Craft Spirits

PHILADELPHIA — Craft breweries get a lot of attention. But what some may not know is the world of craft distilling is just as unique and eclectic as the brewing world.

And for seven years, Red Brick Craft Distillery in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood has been making hand-crafted spirits for those who want a bit of a kick when their drinks.

Located at 2628 Martha St., Red Brick offers a small but distinct variety of spirits.

"I can't pick a favorite," owner Brian Forrest told Patch when asked what he prefers of his own concoctions.

Much like children, Forrest's spirits have their own characteristics and qualities, as well as work flows.

Forrest, a Connecticut native who came to the Philadelphia area to attend art school, started making whiskey at home, as that's his (and this writer's) favorite spirit.

"It grew out of a hobby," he said. "I was just playing around, seeing what works."

Things really took off when he fermented and distilled a bottle of Pennsylvania birch beer, which is not sold as Red Brick's From The Woods Black Birch. The spirit is made with Red Brick's own birch beer that is fermented and distilled before being aged in second-use American white oak barrels.

"From The Woods is a very unique thing and geared toward my tastes," he said. "I'm super proud of that one."

But with home distilling, Forrest found scaling up difficult.

That was until he found the right kind of barrels, which paved the way to open the business back in 2015.

"Once I could make good whiskey on my own, I knew I could start a business," he said.

Now, Red Brick offers seven spirits, including a pineapple gin and a sort of whiskey-mescal hybrid called Obsidian that's a smoky white whiskey.

"Obsidian I worked tremendously hard on," he said. "I had batch after batch of failures."

But with practice and patience comes perfection, and Forrest is incredibly proud of the unique spirit.

While Obsidian may be a standout in terms of uniqueness, nothing outsells Red Brick's American Single Malt Whiskey, he said.

"It's our main product and is made with 100 percent malted barley," he said.

As for the malt, Red Brick sources most of it from Double Eagle Malt house in Huntingdon Valley.

"We source as much as we can locally," he said.

The flagship spirit is aged in brand-new white American oak casks and is available in both 80 proof and cask strength, which is between 108 and 116 proof.

To get your hands on some of Red Brick's bottles, you'll have to find them at farmer's markets in places such as Bryn Mawr, Chestnut Hill, and Rittenhosue Square; online at the distillery's website here; or at the distillery itself, and distillery sales are only available by appointment by calling 267-603-3709 or emailing Brian@redbrickcraftdistillery.com.

You can also tour the distillery on Saturdays. Tours and tastings are available at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. on Saturdays and cost $20 per person. Private tastings and tours are also available.

As for the future, Forrest says there are no plans to move into the state-owned liquor stores, but he said Red Brick could possibly expand its reach through farmers markets, private stores, and online sales

And a new aged rum is nearing its release.

"The youngest barrels are about 3 years old," he said. "They're third-use, 5-gallon barrels. It's a very dark, aged rum."

Learn more about Red Brick Craft Distillery online here.