Central Standard Craft Distillery

Bourbon was excellent and the bartender Chris I think his name was did a great job even though it was a slow night he was engaging and informative gave me some good ideas for dinner

Superb little craft distillery /​bar… Their coffee vodka is simply amazing I can’t say enough good things about it. Order a White Russian… They make it with the coffee vodka and their house made Irish cream… Best White Russians I’ve ever had.

Great little distillery/​bar. Awesome coffee vodka, makes amazing White Russians. Yummy craft cocktails

I went here for an event and was thoroughly disappointed in the bar. I was looking forward to cocktails and enjoying a local establishment but it just did not deliver.
Upon arriving there were only about 10 of us there. Most already had drinks and I headed to the bar. They had 2 bartenders for an event of about 40 people which normally would suffice. One bartender was chatting and networking with the lady next to me and the other was making someone’s drinks right in front of me. I waited and waited and the guy just making drinks didn’t even acknowledge my presence. All he needed to say was «I’ll be right with you» and I would have been happy. He spent most his time looking around for what to put in the cocktail next… But I doubt they would have used a brand new bartender for a special event so I’m not sure what his deal was. 10 min after arriving I was finally acknowledged that I was waiting for a drink.
I went with the honeythyme cocktail. Central standard gin, honey thyme homemade concoctions and lemonade. With words like honey and lemonade I was expecting it to be sweet. Wrong! It was bitter and sour and I couldn’t take more than 2 sips. For someone who drinks gin and tonics on the regular I was very surprised. Instead of waiting for the bartender I decided just to give it to my friend. She thought it was fine and enjoyed a free drink on me lol.
Overall I don’t think I’ll be back. I really wasn’t impressed on any aspect. Really bummed to give a local distillery a bad review but they have a lot of work to do…

Thanks to Pat, Bex and the whole Central Standard crew for providing the spirits for our wedding. Bex worked with us on selecting the spirits in appropriate quantities for our guests.
In addition to a seamless and well organized pick up of our spirits we were also able to take our dogs with us on the trip from Chicago to MKE and they were welcomed at the bar with a bowl of water and took seats right next to us. Thank you Central Standard!

It a really nice space here and I like that it’s a startup. They have a good thing going with Milwaukee Brewing Company being adjacent.
The liquors, though, I’d recommend you taste before ordering. I’ve had some cocktails that were good and others that I didn’t like so much: and I like most cocktails — haha.
Last night the bourbon I thought was pretty good. The oat whiskey, though, was quite different.

I recently went on the distillery tour and it was great! One of the owners was present, it was very nice to hear him speak and be able to ask questions! I normally don’t drink liquor, but I drank every tasting. I only wish there was a better sound system so that everyone can hear (when the bar is busy).
The atmosphere of the bar is very welcoming and fresh. They have a nice selection of drinks, all unique! Their bourbon was delicious as well!

I had a good cocktail here a few weeks ago. We checked in, and ended up getting 50% off. Always good stuff happening in this neighborhood.

Love love love Central Standard. Learning about the distillery is cool, but I honestly just love it as a great bar to hang out in. They mix some fantastic cocktails, one I loved so much I tried to make it at home (and failed miserably, but hey I tried) but I think I need to leave it to them to make. I am definitely nowhere near as good as they are. I would definitely recommend the old fashioned or there is a newer cocktail with a coffee vodka, I can’t remember the name of it but it was minty and wonderful and you should try it.
Th bartenders and owners are some of the nicest dudes ever too. If you’re there and get to chat to any of them ask them about how the bar came together! There are some cool stories about the place, for example the wood on the walls are from a barn somewhere in Wisconsin! Super rad stuff, I highly suggest checking it out if you’ve never been.

Decided to go on the distillery tour with a friend. Chose to go on Sunday at 1pm (brunch time). Pretty cool place to grab a drink. We ended up being the only two on the tour but it was a great experience. The tour lasted between 45 – 55 mins. You will get samples of gin, vodka, whiskey, etc. Very informative and tasty alcohol. This place will definitely see more of me! My personal favorites were the gin, and coffee flavored vodka. Those two alcohols will taste like no other especially if you are a coffee drinker or bean head and you like gin. The tour costs about $ 10 per persons and they also have a pretty decent sized bar with two tvs that serve beer on tap and speciality cocktails

I had very high-​hopes after reading some of the reviews of this place, and even higher hopes when I walked in and saw the atmosphere, but I was disappointed the moment I received my first drink.
My first drink was the Old Fashioned; my go-​to. I grew up on the Wisconsin old fashioned so I was excited to see that you could order it sweet or sour. It turned out to be the worst old fashioned I’ve ever had. It was overly sweet, with no taste of whiskey. I followed up with a Manhattan which wasn’t terrible, but in the meantime my friends were having to walk up to the bar to get there own drinks because our server had decided to stop serving us. She was complacent and didn’t seem to know the menu. Two hours later after catching up with friends I realized our table of 7 – 8 people were the only ones in the establishment, at 10pm on a Saturday night! I realize my review contradicts the majority however, an empty establishment is always your best indicator.

When you go into this space it is inviting and just neat. I love the barn wood walls and the welded chairs. This is young, different, and just cool.
We did the Groupon for the tour. It isn’t very tour like, it was more of a tasting and explaining the process of what we were drinking. Their spirits are extremely different from what you will experience. I am a beer, whiskey, and cider girl. But, I did try the gin and vodka. The vodka and gin weren’t terrible. My husband did like the vodka. It had a slight the taste. The gin was not like licking a pine cone, so I was sold. The white whiskey was smooth and I did enjoy it.
They noted that they will have a bourbon out this month (they are only a year old and it takes a year to age bourban).
I think the people here are highly committed and just good people. We talked an extra half an hour, which was fun.
I encourage anyone in the area to try it out.

Um. Yes. Please. More.
I’ve been here a few different times, and each time I’ve walked out absolutely pleased with my experienced. The first one was through a Unilocal event (yes, that’s my disclaimer) but in subsequent visits, I’ve done the brewery tour and have tried their different drinks, with my favorite being one of their Old Fashions.
The space is large and spacious, and sometimes they open the large garage door, bringing more fun to the party. They’ve got a little store section on the side where they sell things, including cheese curds from across the way. I’m a fan of the machinery out in the open for people to see.
Service wise, I can’t complain. Edgar is a pretty great bartender, obviously knows what he’s doing and is super nice whenever we’ve come in. Actually, I feel that I can say that about MOST of the staff we’ve been served by there.
The peddle taverns do stop by, which, depending on how you feel about them, can be a great thing or really annoying (I’ll let you be the judge). Regardless, we have always found this gem to be a great time, and highly recommend you visit it!

Descriptive phrase: good booze, fun dudes.
Central Standard Craft Distillery is conveniently (and dangerously) attached to Milwaukee Brewing Company, and the flow of décor and people works both ways. It reminds me inside of a cool loft that you’d never be able to afford. There’s plenty of TVs for sports and bar and high-​top seating. On one end is an open look at their still area, and the other is a garage door for warmer weather.
The owner was young and fun to interact with. You can tell it’s a labor of love for him. Their liquor is young but tasty, and their bartenders know how to work them into drinks well. Central Standard is certainly worth a swing by.

Thanks to a recent Unilocal get-​together, I was finally able to make it in to Central Standard Craft Distillery. I was not disappointed! The staff here is fantastic. They are super friendly and helpful, and they are very knowledgeable about the different spirits that they offer.
They have a lovely bar and seating area, with a small tasting room off to the side. I was able to sample their whiskey, vodka, and gin while I was there. I thoroughly enjoyed all three. The whiskey is actually a White Whiskey. The difference between white whiskey and bourbon style whiskey is in the aging process. White whiskey is not aged as long as the bourbon style whiskey is. The gin has a sweetness to it. And the vodka is distilled from 100% rye grain, which gives it a flavor that has both spiciness and frutiness to it. All of the spirits go down very smoothly.
What’s really neat about Central Standard is that all of their spirits are hand crafted, and are produced in small batches. The owners feel that by producing their spirits in smaller batches, they keep the quality of the flavor high. The gin, whiskey, and vodka are all available for purchase. I bought the gin on this outing, and plan on purchasing the whiskey the next time I’m here.
Central Standard offers tours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. They only have 15 slots available per tour time, so booking ahead online is highly recommended. The tours are $ 10 per person.

I think Central Standard really created a great space… but I can’t help but think of it more as a bar than an actual distillery.
The focus is so much more on the bar space than creating a «tasting room» type atmosphere. I understand that they are still very new and space is limited, but I’d take away the TVs and bring the focus to the product.
Speaking of the product… I just don’t really care for the flavors that are coming through in the spirits. The sweeter, vanilla flavor in the vodka just wasn’t my thing. The Gin has a really unique taste unlike other gin you may have had… it also wasn’t my thing. The white whiskey has that forward, in your face alcohol taste you’d expect — but there are sweeter, mellow undertones that come through. It was different for sure, and probably my favorite out of the three.
I hear that they are working on rye and bourbon… I am definitely intrigued to see what they come up with.
But for now — I could see myself going back to hang out in a great space and maybe enjoy a MKE Brewing Co. beer that is on tap and watch the game.

Went here for Unilocal’s Boozin’ and Schmoozin’ event and was rather impressed!
The place itself is small and intimate but, with floor to ceiling glass-​windowed garage doors, light filled and open feeling. I can only imagine how great this place must be in summer when those doors are open.
Saz’s catered this little shindig and did a great job. Although I didn’t get to try the meatballs (they ran out), the chicken wings were tender and flavorful and enhanced by the delicious tomato based sauce served on top. And, they had wet wipes on hand. THANK YOU!
My first drink was a vodka based peach ice tea. I don’t normally drink ice tea and I don’t care much for peach anything, but wanting to get out of my comfort zone, I went for it. I was pleasantly surprised! The flavors balanced each other quite nicely and the sweet, mellow flavor of the peach, rather than an intense, almost bitter flavor that I normally experience when I try peach flavored alcohol, brought a little smile to my face.
My second drink was the Unilocaltail which I found out was the Distillery’s own India Lemonade with extra coloring added to intensify the hue. This drink was gin and rose lemonade. I wasn’t going to get it at first, because of the gin, but then I saw the color and thought, PRETTY! MUST DRINK!, because that is how I usually make my drink decisions. I was again surprised, as I was fully expecting not to like it. The gin was not as intense as other gins I’ve tried and I can actually see myself drinking this again.
Brant, (the owner?) came around and offered me a sample of their whiskey and all I can say is, WOW! Again, not normally a liquor I would drink alone, but it was so flavorful and smooth. I could actually taste the oak rather than the alcohol. I might do a full shot. Might? Yeah, I would, no ifs, ands or buts. Who am I kidding?
I hope to come back here in the summer and look forward to enjoying a cocktail or two with my husband.
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Central Standard is so great!
They do killer, killer cocktails with their spirits, the space is lovely and bright and right on the «Second Street strip,» the folks that own and work there are super-​nice… what more could you want out of a local distillery, really?
In the same building and adjacent to MKE Brewing, this could be a dangerous two-​fer for tourists.
Be careful with all this awesomeness, non-​Milwaukeeans. It might sneak up on you, so make sure to hydrate and designate a driver/​Lyft/​Über… ;)

I went on a tour with a few other Unilocalers. The facility is small, but really well thought out. The wood work is re-​purposed from an old Amish Barn. In fact one of the craft cocktails is named for Ned Yoder, the Amish farmer whose barn supplied the wood.
Currently, Central Standard has three products, a vodka, a gin, and a clear whiskey. We sampled all three and all three were very good. They are all made as small batches and all bottled by hand.
The vodka had a vanilla undertone, some tasted chocolate. It was smooth and tasted great, whatever the flavor was. I could drink it on the rocks or neat, which I can’t say about another vodka.
It’s exciting to see another distillery in town, and I expect this one also has a bright future.

Small, craft cocktail place that’s good to grab a fancy cocktail or beer.
I’ve been to a few of these places now, and they’re pretty fun places to at least grab a drink with some friends. Being a distillery, they’ll have some white whiskey on the menu. If you’re not familiar with white whiskey, it’s very raw tasting, as it hasn’t sat and aged in a barrel. Myself, I prefer the good old bourbon, so it wasn’t really for me.
They do share a wall with MKE brewing (I think this place took some of the space from the brewery, but I have to confirm that), so you’re sure to find some cheap MKE brews on the menu.
If you’re going to stop here at central standard, try to taste a few different things… or get a flight if it’s available. It IS a craft distillery, so it would be a crime to not try different things.