Liberty Pole Spirits

Washington, Pennsylvania has a long, rebellious history with distilling whiskies. The family owned and operated Liberty Pole Spirits is bringing the rebellion back to Pennsylvania. Their doors opened in 2016, but step into their distillery and you’re transported to the late 18th century.

Husband and wife team Jim and Ellen Hough opened Liberty Pole Spirits to turn Jim’s hobby into a profession. But the distillery is so much more. It’s a gateway back to the meeting places of the Mingo Creek Society, a group of Scotch-Irish veterans of the Revolutionary War. They were distilling whiskey, but the newly formed government imposed an Excise Tax. So, the Mingo Creek Society erected ‘liberty poles’ all over the county to openly display their opposition.

It’s this history that Liberty Pole Spirits rouses with every award-winning bottle. Their dedication to the history extends to the corn they use. They use a beautiful red corn varietal native to Western Pennsylvania known as Bloody Butcher. Rich, nutty and earthy, it forms the base for their bourbons and corn whiskey.