Feb. 18--CH Distillery, which opened in the West Loop in 2013 focusing on vodka made from all Illinois grain, plans to open a second location in Pilsen by the end of the year.
"It's a big project," admits Tremaine Atkinson, co-founder, head distiller, and managing director of operations for CH Distillery. He's not kidding. The 20,000-square-foot facility, which will include three silos that each hold 50,000 pounds of grain, will eventually produce 20 times the amount of liquor as the previous location.
According to Atkinson, the new location was picked because of its close proximity to downtown. Plus, the building happens to be by the former location of the Schoenhofen Brewery, which used to be one of Chicago's largest breweries, but faded in production in the 1970s. "It feels really good to bring back alcohol production to the site," says Atkinson.
While there is no bar planned for the site, Atkinson says the location has "great skyline views," and that it's possible that a brewpub or event space could be added in the future. At first, the Pilsen location will focus on producing the distillery's CH Vodka, with the hope to add liqueur production later.
Though this may seem like a dramatic step, Atkinson believes the new location is the best way for CH Distillery to stay competitive, while maintaining its focus on using Illinois grain. "This is a different approach from a lot of other craft distilleries," says Atkinson, "I think we're changing the game."
Opening late 2016, 1611 S. Clinton Street.
nkindelsperger@tribpub.com
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