Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Haslam.
Hi Aaron, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Northside Distilling began as a basement hobby—two friends with a still, exploring their passion for authentic, high-quality craft spirits. Before long, word spread and a weekend pastime became a bona fide business.
To meet growing demand, operations were moved out of the basement to the family barn located in Cincinnati’s historic Northside neighborhood, where the brand was officially born, and began expanding a line of spirits known for its local flair.
Northside continues to grow, and with another move—this time to Cincinnati’s vibrant downtown scene—Northside Distilling has further broadened its offerings of award-winning, authentic spirits with deep yet smooth taste profiles. With each sip, savor the flavor that is unique to the Northside.
Northside Distilling is Cincinnati’s first distillery since Prohibition. We currently produce bourbon, gin, vodka, American agave, and seasonal rum as well as limited-edition specialty releases and private label spirits.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Building a craft distillery is not for the faint of heart. We have had challenges like all small businesses. As always, starting a business from scratch has many obstacles. We have struggled with capital, commitment, quality control, and navigating the legal and regulatory requirements that come with distilling and distributing liquor. The one constant through all of our challenges has been friendship. When times get rough, we leaned into our friendships as opposed to blaming one another for the challenges. Eventually, capital showed up when needed. We found the right team that was committed to full-time operations instead of part-time owners. Quality control followed and we found good attorneys (always a plus in this industry!). We’re grateful to be able to say that the COVID pandemic hasn’t been that much of a challenge for us. We used it as a time to evaluate our business plan, hire the right leadership, and plan a soon-to-be-announced full-blown expansion of our business.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Northside is about family and friends. We are simply honest and no-frills in our approach to life and business. Northside started as a few guys meeting up weekly to hang out and have fun. From there, we expanded our lifestyle into a business and have been working to spread the word of the spirit of Cincinnati to anyone who will listen. With our upcoming expansion, we are looking to expand our business beyond Cincinnati.
We started distilling in a basement. From there, we expanded into a barn on a family farm. Our next stop was Over-the-Rhine in downtown Cincinnati, where we became an urban distillery and the first distillery since Prohibition. Because of demand, we have to expand again and we are looking to continue our urban roots by doing so in our current neighborhood.
We specialize in our friends and family approach to distilling.
We were formed out of friendship and that is what makes us special. Additionally, we are known as the first distillery in Ohio to produce American Agave. It’s basically tequila, but we can’t call it that because it is distilled in Ohio and not Mexico. However, we use all the same natural ingredients from Mexico, including Blue Agave, and we leave the additives in Mexico. Our followers love us for our gin because it is quite different from your grandfather’s gin. We focus on lavender and citrus as opposed to heavy juniper. All that being said, bourbon is still our most popular and, in my opinion, and the opinion of many others, our best spirit. It’s crafted with a low rye mash bill and has a flavor profile that’s rich with a caramel aroma and a hint of vanilla. It’s perfect for an Old Fashioned, Boulevardier, or simply drink neat. Finally, our vodka is six times distilled and twice carbon filtered – leaving it clean and perfect for mixing with our famous Northside Mule or your cocktail of choice.
Our approach to distilling is different. We do it because we love it and because it brings us together. We are not looking to sell or get rich by doing it. We are looking to produce a product together as friends that is absolutely the best quality, so others may share the same experience when they drink it as we do when we make it.
We are most proud of our Agave because we were the first to do it in Ohio and we did it well. We were so early in the game as trailblazers on the product that Ohio did not know exactly how to categorize it when they approved it.
Our distillery and tasting room is currently located on Race Street and we are open on the weekends as a full-service bar. We’ve created a really cool community space where friends can gather and watch a soccer match or the Bengals play. We also offer it as an events space for birthday parties and bachelor parties and host distillery tours if people call ahead to schedule. Anyone who comes in can easily see why we are the spirit of Cincinnati in more ways than one.
How do you think about happiness?
A nice glass of Northside Bourbon on a fall day. A refreshing poolside sipper mixing one of our signature spirits like vodka or gin with fresh fruit juices and a hint of sweetness. Being involved in our community whether it’s sponsoring the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament or donating product and gift baskets to one of the many nonprofit organizations we support in the area. But what really makes us happy is the friendships created while enjoying (responsibly) Northside spirits.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@northsidedistilling.com
- Website: https://www.northsidedistilling.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northsidedistillingco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northsidedistilling
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/northside-distillery-cincinnati-6
