New Columbia Distillers

Came here for a birthday outing in September 2015. Our group of 13 did a free private bottling party. You just have to arrange for a private party a few weeks in advance and then your group gets to go through the different processes — labeling (which I was terrible at — especially after a few drinks), filling the bottles w/​gin, capping, dating, sealing & boxing. The whole time they serve you delicious free G&Ts!
Super friendly staff, fun group activity, good gin. They even threw in a free bottle of gin for the birthday boy!
It’s not in the most convenient location but definitely worth going out of your way for.

Absolutely adore New Columbia and everyone who works there.
I first visited a few years ago on part of bike brew crawl and am glad that each month this place just gets more and more popular. They are only open to the public for limited weekend hours so make sure to get there by midafternoon. While they won’t kick you out at the 4:00 close time, be nice and start heading to the door.
New Columbia is best known as Green Hat, the name of the delicious gin they make. Green Hat comes in a few variations, the standard and Navy Strength are year-​round. Then limited edition seasonal are added to the mix until they sell out. When you visit you will get a free taste of each kind, as well as vermouth made by another local distributor. Then for $ 5 you can buy one of a handful of rotating cocktails to take with you on the gin tour. I’ve been on the tour three times now and have learned new facts each time — the owners are always happy to answer as many questions as you can come up (even if someone is just drunkenly repeating a previous question: p).
Another really fun way to experience New Columbia is through their bottling parties — these are a little hard to swing, they’re so popular they book four months in advance, but worth the wait. Get a dozen of your friends together and you’ll get a chance to actually put the gin into action, from labeling to filing the bottles to sealing them for shipment. Sign up for the mailing list to get in on this action. And while you wait, just go hang out at New Columbia next weekend. You’ll have a great time :)

I wasn’t much of a gin fan but the drink he made from the Navy strength was delicious. Very clean place with well verse staff that know the product. I really enjoyed myself.

I really liked this distillery. The staff is very friendly and personable and the tour puts you right in the action, with the staff filling and labeling gin bottles right in front of you. They have lots of different things, some stuff that I’ve never even heard of. They have a Pimms type of liqueur that is really good and three kinds of gin. It’s fun to compare one gin to the other. Great space and crowd. You can but a mixed drink there or a bottle to take home.

New Columbia Distillers, the makers of Green Hat gin, is the first distillery to open in DC since prohibition. I’m personally a huge fan of their gin, and also a huge fan of the fact that they are barrel aging their OWN whiskey. They’re not just buying it, finishing it off, and then selling it like some other distilleries. I’m sure it’s going to be worth the wait! Though you can pick up their gin at most DC liquor stores, I really recommend going to the distillery and taking the tour. It really is interesting, and the employees are very friendly and knowledgeable.

I visited New Columbia last weekend with a friend. We made a day of it by going to One Eight Distilleries and Atlas Brewery too, which are both close by. New Columbia was our favorite. The vibe is fun, they had bartenders whipping up a mix of classic and experimental cocktails ($ 5 each) to enjoy before or after your tour ($ 0), and they were sampling some fun seasonal stuff along with the classics ($ 0).
Not only do they make the best gin in town, but I would definitely come back for another tasting with more friends – we had a great time at New Columbia.

I highly recommend checking out this place. Upon entry, they make sure you are of legal drinking age and then your hand is stamped.
The sample area offered (3) and (2) vermouth tastings. The seasonal gin (Spring/​Summer) was my favorite of the bunch and the lighter vermouth was pretty good with lots of honey notes.
The tour was led by one of the owners, it took about 10 minutes total.
They also sell bottles for $ 32 – 34 and $ 5 gin or vermouth cocktails for on-​site consumption.

New Columbia is one of my favorite local businesses in DC. They’re making incredible products (Green Hat Gin is delicious, and they’ve got rotating seasonals and rye whiskey on the way!), they’ve renewed the District’s distilling history (and kudos to the historically appropriate product name!), and their community outreach should be a model for all small businesses who want to engage their fans and keep them happy.
Last night, I attended a bottling workshop led by the distillery’s knowledgable and friendly employee Saul. I’ve attended similar events at other distilleries, and they’ve been okay, but it was always clear that the «workshops» were a nice excuse to get some free labor. At New Columbia, it felt like a party! Given balancing the objectives of fun, safety, and speed, Saul said, always give up speed first. The group of about 15 fun, engaged local folks who bottled with us were encouraged to get to know each other, and we were treated to delicious craft cocktails, product samples, and all the pizza we could eat (prepared by a neighboring local restaurant, of course!). Saul also gave the best distillery tour I’ve ever attended — taking us through the process of making gin from grain to bottle. And the best added benefit of all, as «temporary employees,» we were given the employee discount to buy bottles to take home at the end of the night. Not bad!
I’d highly recommend trying Green Hat gin, keeping an eye out for their new products, and stopping by to visit the distillery any weekend.

Saul Mutchnick (employee) is one of the rudest people ever. After trying to attend a bottling party (which I hear isn’t very fun anyway) and trying to figure out why I was having a difficult time with their lottery system, he fired back with a pernicious email basically saying that my luck was $hitty. Another white, privileged man who’s money is buying DC but cannot afford manners. Leopold’s and Blue Coat are better American gins anyway.

This Gin is the yummiest gin in the whole universe. Trust me. Go there, have a sip to try, and you will be bringing home a bottle. I tried this gin at a party here in DC, fell in love, found out it’s local, fell more in love with it, went to the distillery, took the tour, decided to ask it’s hand in marriage. Great stuff, super dedicated people, and it looks like they might roll out with more than just gin in the future! Get yourself some green hat, and enjoy gin the way it is supposed to be… delicious.

Great tour and tasting! Cool distillery set up producing standard and seasonal gin. For fun, you can volunteer as an individual or a group and label and bottle the gin. The summer gin has a nice fruity taste and will be great in the summer. This garage operation is a fun afternoon event. Green hat gin rocks!

We came to New Columbia Distillers for a friend’s birthday party and enjoyed a fabulous private bottling event. Little did we know we’d be rolling up our sleeves and joining the assembly line to fill and seal gin bottles, but, we certainly had a blast doing it! Our gin-​loving group loved going behind the scenes. Bonus: we had the opportunity to purchase a special bottle that we bottled ourselves with a handwritten message on the back of the label — which made a stellar gift for a fellow gin lover.
During our bottling session, we also got to tour the facility, learn all about how gin is made and even taste cocktails made with Green Hat gin. This experience even turned my gin-​skeptic husband into a lover of Green Hat. We both love the herbal infusion of aromatics this gin is made with! We hope to be back soon to take home a bottle for ourselves!

Let’s start with I really like Green Hat and the New Columbia Distillers. I’m a big fan, and I’m glad to see a local distillery doing well.
That said, if you do a tour, it’ll take maybe 20 minutes max, including getting in, getting your tiny taste, listening to the schpeel, looking at the equipment, taking another teeny taste, and… yeah, you’re pretty much done. Trust me, some friends came into town and wanted to check it out. I had never been, so away we went. And away we went again in less than 30 minutes.
So just know, this is truly local. It’s small and personal. You see people who got suckered, er, volunteered, to help bottle, and it’s kinda cool to think that your neighbors are makin this product, using local ingredients, and, unlike down where I’m from, you don’t have to light a flame to check this every time you wanna sip.
Honestly, I’d say support the business, buy the product – it is solidly made and a great tasting gin. If you really want to see where it’s made, definitely go see it – everyone is very nice. Just don’t expect it to take an afternoon. Or an hour.

It was a beautiful Fall Saturday afternoon and I met friends at New Columbia Distillers to grab a bottle of its new Green Hat gin-​aquavit hybrid, Ginavit, on its first day of release. New Columbia Distillers resides in a warehouse in a gritty industrial setting in NE DC. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, it was 180 degrees from the revered, picturesque (and much, much larger) distilleries you’d find in Kentucky, but its inner workings, the pride of craftsmanship, and DIY ethic were right in line with the best of them. Given the good weather, the roll-​top door was open showing off the distillery and allowing them to better accommodate the small crowd there to taste and purchase bottles of their regular gin and the new Ginavit. There was no retail storefront to speak of, but a small area near the restroom was dedicated to retail sales. Additionally, there wasn’t a tasting room, just a small table set up with a couple of friendly employees who seemed genuinely passionate about the product pouring small samples of the two gins available currently in production. As for the samples, the new 90 proof Ginavit possessed a unique flavor and aromatic profile that combined the botanicals like juniper you’d expect from a gin and caraway from the aquavit. It’s my favorite product in the Green Hat line and has immediately become one of my favorite gins. The dominant feature of the small warehouse was the copper pot still that stood proudly in the middle of the space. A small bottling operation was in full swing with family/​friends/​volunteers affixing labels to the bottles, capping, and sealing before packing them in case boxes.
From the standpoint of the infrastructure and operations of a distillery regardless of size, if you’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all. The only true variances are in the size of its operations, the setting in which the distillery resides, and the spirits it produces. To be perfectly frank, New Columbia Distillers is not a must-​see destination. It does not and cannot compete with pretty much every other distillery in the world by being able to offer a visually pleasing experience in a scenic location. However, it competes quite nicely the spirit world with its innovative, small batch gins that should not be missed. Drink local!

went with a group that did bottling.
it wasn’t un-​fun, but it wasn’t «fun» either. the thing is they really work you. we bottled more than 50 boxes of gin over like 2 hours. they give you a free drink or two, but you’re working so hard you can’t even really drink it. and finally, at the end it’s not like you get a free bottle — you get something like a 10% discount on a bottle.
the tour itself is interesting, but i certainly wouldn’t go bottling again, or recommend to a friend that they go bottling either.

I am shocked I have not reviewed this yet. Wow. Sorry.
Never really being one to enjoy gin (other than occasional Tanq), I find it harsh and strong… which is usually a good thing, but when it comes to gin, I just cannot «hang». That is, until I tasted Green Hat Gin. WHAT! Cue angelic choir music or much loved rock anthem. One taste or even smell of this sinfully delicious liquid will make you turn your back on all the other liquors you have ever put inside your body. You should go ahead and apologize to your body for consuming «less than» alcohols before your discovery of this clear gold.
Since this place first opened, we have visited many times, often bringing our close friends and family for a tour (although one time we showed up too early and we couldn’t do a tour, I felt like schmuck for bringing my sister there. sad face). But I promised them we would return. We ONLY buy Green Hat gin for our own personal use, and if we really like our guests or visitors, then we might share. Any gin based cocktail you can think of is made infinitely better by replacing your regular gin with this stuff.
It is floral, soft on the senses and just simply perfect. The owners/​craftmasters of this place are always welcoming, kind, and funny. You just have to love a family run business.
I have done a bottling event with my husband and some tag along friends and we all had so much fun. We cannot wait until our schedules allow us to do it again. They have only had two different types/​releases thus far, the regular and the Spring release. I cannot choose which one I prefer more, they are both different and delightful. They will soon release a Fall batch, and I will be one of the first to snatch that up. I cannot wait. (squeal).
They are celebrating their one year anniversary, so the bottles at the distillery are only $ 30 instead of $ 35. Luckily, I live about 7 blocks away from this place! Yay for me. I wish they had more parking places, and more business and tour hours, but I will just have to deal with it.
If I were not already happily married, I would marry this place. That made no sense, sorry.
BEST GIN EVER! Go do a bottling party, or a tour and sign up for the newsletter, you will not regret it.
Also, keep an eye out for local restaurants that feature Green Hat Gin in their cocktails, such as Boundary Road, The Gin Joint (New Heights), Rustik Tavern, etc.
You’re welcome.

Everything about this place screams hipster. Premium priced, locally-​produced liquor — totally the new microbrew. It’s in a part of town that used to be cordoned off by police ²⁴⁄₇ — ya know, dangerous, but not really. Then you approach the door and follow the instructions that say «Knock for gin,» and everything after just tells you this is simply an excellent product made (for me) 5 minutes from my front door. On a typical day an unassuming man, who wears some awesome glasses that make him look like an alchemist, will open the door and offer you a tour. There isn’t much to tour. The whole place is a single room with a grinder for the wheat, a place to make the mash, and a big ol’ pot still. Though small, for those of us who have never seen the distilling process, its pretty nice, and they are great at answering questions. Finally you’re offered a taste, and you will undoubtedly purchase a bottle or two.
The tasting is done straight, but even the most straight-​liquor-​averse people won’t have trouble with Green Hat. It’s remarkably smooth, with a large punch of botanicals. I’ve been lucky enough to try batches 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 13 and the Spring/​Summer seasonal. Batch 1 was my favorite, but apparently not everyone else’s as they changed the formula after that. It seems to have solidified around batch 5 since I haven’t noticed a change since. The Spring/​Summer is bottled at 90 proof instead of ~80 for the the regular. It also has a different profile of aromatics. I would say it is more citrusy, and I can definitely notice the cherry blossom that is also in there. This gin will impress the gin aficionado, convince the London Dry drinker to try something new, and make the beer drinker realize that cocktails are where it’s at (sorry I really think there is nothing that can be done to save wine snobs).
I hear talk of a whiskey in the works, though if he’s aging it, it’s got to be 3 – 5 years in the making. Undoubtedly there will be a moonshine version sooner, though. If he sticks with the wheat he uses for the gin, it will be interesting since a straight wheat whiskey is not exactly common. Anyway… looking forward to that.

Gin for Everyone!
Historically, I have not been a fan of gin — my college days did not provide a great first impression — but I checked out New Columbia Distiller’s tasting of their new season blend Spring /​Summer. I actually enjoyed gin for the first time! This is not the PineSol esk gin that you find at most liquor stores. Fresh. Clean. Delicious!
Beyond becoming a gin covert, the entire staff was beyond friendly and gave a comprehensive overview of the distillery.
Favorite Green Hat Fact — all the products they use are local! Support local booze and local produce!
If your in the DC area — I highly recommend stopping by and discovering the beauty of gin.

Great! The distillery is small, but not as small as I was expecting. We found out about it by Googleing and we were really pleased we did. Beware it’s not where Google maps thinks it is though and don’t be perturbed you could walk straight past it if you’re not paying attention, but ring the bell and wait to be let in, it’s totally worth it.
The still set up is very beautiful and the product is really good. The tour is conducted in a very relaxed manner as is the tasting. They currently have the one gin and it’s really very good, very different from anything I’ve ever tried before, and I really do like Gin. I’m looking forward to the seasonals they’re planning on concocting, not to mention their whiskey when it’s ready.
They have bottling parties, one of which was going on when we visited and looked like a real hoot.
It’s a bit of a trek from either of the closest metros make sure you map out your route first because we ended up taking a bit of a long way round. I would actually recommend you visit it you’re in the area for Union Market. From NOMA metro you walk right by Union Market on the way to the distillery.

Awesome experience!!! A few of us went on Saturday for the tour. Ok, it is in a lock your doors and keep your head low neighborhood, but it’s worth it. We rang the bell and were greeted to a friendly welcome. Saul (1 of only 3 or 4 employees total) gave us an incredible tour! First a sample of the green hat gin (currently their only beverage, but a rye whiskey soon to follow). We took more of Saul’s time than he was probably accustomed to, but he was so gracious and answered every question in detail. We met one of the owners as she was labeling the bottles (yes putting each label on by hand!). She was gracious and friendly as well.
The Gin… I would never drink gin straight. My drink of choice is tanqueray and tonic and I don’t typically make them too strong. Well Saul poured us a straight sample of the green hat gin and I was looking around praying for some tonic or juice of any form. Nope… we are going in straight gin… it was delicious!!! Ok, I would not drink it straight again just because it is way too strong for me, but this gin is truly delicious. At the tasting bar they have all of their herbs laid out that are used to infuse their gin.
This is a very small space and I am sure it could be overwhelmed if too many people came for a tour, but 5 of us showed up at 1pm on a Saturday and we probably took up 40 minutes of Saul’s time. A few of us bought some gin, I think it was $ 34 or $ 37 a bottle, completely reasonable when we saw all that went in to the production. I honestly will buy Green Hat from now on. I always thought it was so cool to ask for a tanqueray and tonic, well no more! Green Hat Gin is where it’s at!