A rustic stable on the steep hills of Manayunk is home to a charming new craft distillery and tasting room.
Palmer Distilling Company originated when Walter and Kate Palmer started tinkering with a small distillery at their home. Walter had recently left the corporate world and was occupying his time with baking, cooking, gardening and distilling while evaluating his career options. “I started distilling to just do something,” he said.
Once the Palmers got their hands on a small still, experimented with recipes and shared their craft gin with friends, the couple realized they were on to something. Walter said, “I kind of created this plan B; if I can’t find a job, I think I could build a distillery.” To execute plan B, Walter enrolled in distilling classes at Cornell, visited an assortment of distilleries and maintained regard for ancient process in forming his own recipe. From there, the Palmers began the extensive task of creating, tasting and selecting their trademark gin.
Palmer Distilling Company’s flagship Liberty Gin was selected in a meticulous process that took about a year. The Palmers and nine others, “including two British guys, one very serious wine guy, a coffee roaster and some friends,” tasted 50 distinct gins before deciding on the final product, which tastes fresh, lively and floral while delivering a whiskey mouthfeel. Of the laborious selection process, Kate cheerfully added, “it was a very difficult job, but somebody had to do it!”
Walter further explained his inclination toward ancient process rather than technology. “I looked at process and recipes that didn’t rely a lot on temperature or control,” he said, adding “what we’re making are products that would have been in Philadelphia during the time of the [American] Revolution.” The Palmers decided to make a full run at opening a distillery about a year ago, which led them to acquire a simple, quaint space on Shurs Lane, as well as an 800-liter, 18th Century-style whiskey still fashioned out of Portuguese copper. Keeping with the historical feel, the modest tasting room offers a wooden table, no chairs and a friendly welcome from Walter or Kate.
Simple processes guide the Palmer’s delicious gin, but it also guides their logical, locally focused business sense. For example, Walter always prefers physical labor to ridiculously expensive equipment, and has only advertised with a street sign and social media. The distillery also makes use of all Pennsylvania spring water, and recently began sourcing malted barley from Deer Creek Malthouse. Most recently, Palmer Distilling also collaborated with Saint Benjamin Brewing Company by distilling their Koffee Kolsch into a whiskey that retains some coffee notes.
For the New Year, Palmer Distilling is planning expansion in a big way. Their bottle’s minimalistic label will see an apothecary-style facelift, and their now basic tasting room will be converted into a more traditional setting that offers drinks rather than just tastings. Walter said, “we’ve been making crazy amounts of gin, but we’re going to stop and get back into carpentry and straighten this place out a bit.” The renovated space should become a go-to spot for the neighborhood’s craft liquor lovers come spring, but until then you can find Liberty Gin in 15 (and growing) state stores. Also be on the lookout for their Manayunk Moonshine, an unaged corn whiskey, and bourbon coming in the future.
Palmer Distilling is located at 376 Shurs Lane, Building A, in Philadelphia; phone: (215) 588-5108. Follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates.
- Photos: Jay Breslin
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