Independent Spirits Distillery is an amazing “all South Jersey” spirits producer, located in Woolwich Township NJ. I stopped in this week ahead of National Cocktail Day (March 24) and caught up with owner Kerry to check out the facility and try one of her fresh signature cocktails!
You can also check out the short video at the bottom of this article where I chat with Kerry about her distillery, how she got into the business, and her awesome philosophy for her distillery!
If you are visiting Independent Spirits (I highly suggest you do). one of its many features is the rural setting, which is located off of Davidson Road in Woolwich.
So I suggest that when you visit to punch the address in to your GPS. In terms of the general area the distillery is close to Swedesboro Brewing, and I recommend making them a nice 1-2 stop for your weekend visits!
Currently Kerry and the distillery team are keeping extended weekend hours, Friday-Sunday. I list current hours at the bottom but be sure the check Facebook for the latest.
Read on for more about Independent Spirits Distillery, their products.. and don’t forget to support National Cocktail Day!
Independent Spirits Distillery – A True South Jersey Product
I mention “all South Jersey” distillery, as Kerry has really put a lot of thought and care into making sure that the ingredients represent South Jersey.
All of the grains she uses is from a farm in Shiloh just a few miles away!
And the water used in all of her product, is pulled right from the well on her property. Truly an all South Jersey product.
I think if there was a way she could get sand from her property and turn it into glass bottles, Kerry would do it!
And if you didn’t catch that mention of Bourbon And Rye Whiskey… She is selling her own varieties which were also made right in her Woolwich facility!
If you aren’t aware, those products need to be barrel-aged for several years before they are ready to serve. This required her to plan several years in advance, to have those barrel aged products available for sale today.
While I haven’t fully checked this with other distilleries, creating and aging your own Bourbon and Whiskey is not something every distillery is willing to put that extra effort and commitment into!
Thankfully for us, Kerry and Independent Spirits put in the time and work for us!
Independent Spirits Distillery – Background
Spend some time with Kerry and you’ll quickly realize that she really has become an expert in the industry, both in making amazing spirit products, as well as also delicious cocktails.
in chatting with her it’s very interesting to me that this was not a decades long dream for her!
I commented that many of the local brewery owners have the story of starting out with a smaller sort of hobbyist sized beer brewing kit.
But for Kerry it was more about looking for a change in her life… looking for things that matched her interests… Something that she would look forward to coming to work to do.
So she jumped then with both feet, created a business plan to get the process started towards the numerous approvals and start-up financial challenges.
And it’s not like she had already owned an unused building on a property that she was looking to create a use for… Kerry really started from scratch in developing the large barn like distillery building!
It’s clear to me that she chose the correct business and career path, as not only has Kerry become an expert in this space, you can truly see from the smile that she has when talking about her business and distilled products… that she made the right decision for her!
Well and the correct decision for South Jersey also, as we get to enjoy her delicious South Jersey made distilled spirits!
Independent Spirits Distiller – The Experience
The Independent Spirits Distillery building sits back off of Davidson Rd. and is a slightly lower grade then the road level. So when you are visiting, look for the small sign on Davidson and turn into the access road which leads you down to the bright red barn style building.
Walking into the main entrance leads you to the tasting room area with a small bar off to the right.
Beyond the bar are large windows looking Into the distillery area, and just past the bar are the double doors heading into the small warehouse-like production area.
It’s a smart layout for the tasting room area, which features several high top tables.
In the back of the room our doorways which lead out to a covered patio area in the back, which looks out over an open field.
Tables are set up on that patio and during warmer weather it’s become a popular spot to relax while drinking a cocktail
Kerry and the staff are happy to answer any questions about the products or the distillery process, but she will soon be offering scheduled distillery process tours for folks who want to get an even more in-depth experience of what it takes to make delicious vodkas, bourbons, gins and more.
Cocktails at Independent Spirits Distillery
So speaking of tasting room and bar, while you absolutely can purchase bottles of delicious gins, vodka, bourbons and more… you can also order a craft cocktail at Independent Spirits Distillery!
While this is my first time featuring the distillery at 42Freeway.com I have visited a couple times and they really do have amazing cocktails!
That same extra thought process of doing it right with the freshest ingredients, carries into the cocktail recipes.
As an example, in my visit this week I had a whiskey sour which includes a frothy top. While many bars will create that drink from a powdered mix for the foam topping, Kerry actually takes fresh egg white and whips it into a meringue like topping!
I honestly didn’t ask how extensive their cocktail list was but I know they regularly feature a specific list of things that they know they’re going to hit home runs with.
Independent Spirits Video!
Links and Location
Independent Spirit Distillery
131 Davidson Rd
Woolwich Township, NJ 08085