Chicago Craft Spirits Week Kicks Off Next Tuesday

By Anthony Todd in Food on Sep 20, 2013 3:30PM

The community of small distillers in Chicago and the Midwest keeps growing. Almost every week we hear about a new distilling operation opening—not quite as fast as brewers, but the pace is accelerating. Luckily, there's a way to get a taste of almost all of them at once: Chicago Craft Spirits Week.

The centerpiece of the week is the Independent Spirits Expo. We went last year and tasted some great booze, and the expo has moved from The Bottom Lounge to an even larger home at the Chicago Hilton. Hundreds and hundreds of bottles from craft distillers all over the world (but especially in the Midwest) will be opened, samples will be plentiful and, for liquor geeks, the evening will be just about as good as it gets. General admission tickets are $60 and are available online.

While the Expo might be the centerpiece, there's tons more going on during the week. Most of the events don't even require a reservation. North Shore Distillery will be running a "spirited treasure hunt" at Found, there will be a gin smackdown at Farmhouse, a tequila and mezcal tasting at Masa Azul and a rum event at Prasino, all on Tuesday night. Thursday and Friday aren't quite as packed, but there are scotch tastings, pairing dinners and more to choose from. Best of all, on Saturday there is a massive distillery open house - nine distilleries, including some that aren't even open yet, will be giving tours.

Mark your calendars and fill your water bottles—it's going to be quite a week.