No Bones About It: 5 Reasons to Visit Bones Distillery

Washington County has a long and well-documented history of a love of whiskey and spirits thanks to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791-1794, an uprising of farmers and distillers against the first federal excise tax on whiskey.

This locally-owned distillery pays homage to a critical turning point in our county’s history and the art of distilling that’s been passed down from generation to generation by transporting visitors to a simpler time.

Bones Distillery also prides itself on the fact that everything is made with local ingredients to embrace how moonshine and other spirits used to be made here in western Pennsylvania – with what was available locally. Distilling isn’t just a way to make a drink, no, it’s a tradition and symbol of this region’s heritage.

Nestled in the heart of downtown Washington at 68 West Maiden St., Bones Distillery is a perfectly positioned stop on your tour of this historic town. Coincidentally, the distillery is also steps away from the Whiskey Rebellion Education and Visitors Center and the Bradford House Museum, the home of a prominent leader of the Whiskey Rebellion.

In the warmer months, the distillery has a patio area for you to sit back and observe the comings and goings of the downtown area. If you’re more of an indoor cat, no worries – there’s plenty of room in the tasting room and comfortable lounge area.

The atmosphere inside the distillery is cozy and inviting, with leather chairs, comfortable couches and plenty of games and windows for people-watching inside the lounge and tasting room. It’s a place meant for good conversation, good people and great drinks.

Bones Distillery boasts a whopping 27 products – from moonshine, to vodka, to brandy, rum and whiskey, there is quite literally something for every taste. They’ve got every flavor imaginable, too: blueberry, hot cinnamon, peach, coconut, strawberry lemonade, banana, cherry, cotton candy, lemon drop, bubble gum, root beer and so many more.

If you think that’s a lot of variety, we didn’t even talk about the sipping creams yet. With flavors like hazelnut, strawberry, orange push up, s’mores and more, these blends are a perfect way to end the night on a sweet note.

The best part is that all these products are available on the free tasting menu, which means you can sit back, relax and take your time finding the perfect bottle to mix up into a drink of your choice or take home with you.

Just in case you needed one more reason to check out Bones Distillery, we’ll let that subtitle speak for itself. Everything is mashed, fermented and distilled in-house in small batches using local and fresh ingredients, like local corn for the distillery’s corn whiskey and bananas for the banana fruit brandy.

You didn’t hear it from me, but if you ask owner Glenn Green real nice for a quick tour of the distillery, I’m sure he’d oblige.