Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
O’Shaughnessy bar
Suddenly, the local distillery game has leveled up. We’ve had local labels go national, like Tattersall and J. Carver, but we’ve never had one go global. O’Shaughnessy Distilling Co. just might change that fact.
The team’s not just making any old whiskey; they’re making Irish-style American whiskey, which explains those three copper pot stills they have. And they didn’t just bring in any old distiller to get the job done; they brought in Brian Nation, the former master distiller of Jameson, who has left Cork for Minnesota.
The plan is to tap our northern waters and midwestern grains and to use the triple-pot technique, which gives Irish whiskey its smooth nature, to create a new kind of Irish American whiskey—though it still needs time to age in barrels. But while we’re waiting, the distillery offers a blended whiskey called Keeper’s Heart that points in the direction O’Shaughnessy is headed. And, of course, the distillery bar isn’t just any old bar; it’s a copper-clad beauty run by local bar star Pip Hanson, who has designed an entirely fresh cocktail list using all that can be made in-house.
600 Malcolm Ave. SE, Mpls., 763-338-0914, osdistilling.com
