West End Distillery shows off local ingredients

July 20, 2022

Kelly Sauber, the proprietor at West End Ciderworks & Distillery in Athens, Ohio, loves making small-batch products that feature locally-sourced ingredients. If fact, most all of his ingredients come from within a 50 radius of the distillery’s front door.

For example, the 6.5 year-old bourbon he released last week: 55 percent of the grain for the mash bill was open-pollinated yellow dent field corn, grown by Kim and Larry Cowdery of Cowdery Farms in Meigs County, Ohio. Sauber has known the couple for years.

Kelly Sauber at West End Distillery — *Kelly with his 6.5 Y.O. Bourbon*

More about the bourbon

This 6.5 year-old bourbon definitely qualifies as a small-batch release with only 270 bottles made. The bourbon was aged in two 30-gallon, #3 char, American white oak barrels. Sauber says using the smaller than normal barrels produced some differences as compared to aging in the standard 53-gal. whiskey barrel. For example, the smaller barrel size gives you a lot higher surface area to liquid ratio. That higher ratio, along with the #3 char, produced a bourbon with a lot of lovely tannins, vanilla, and caramel character and a darker color than you get from a regular 53-gallon whiskey barrel. “It’s really beautiful,” Sauber says, “and I’m trying to decide whether I like the color better than the color I got in my 7 year old,” [which he released last year].

“The evaporation on these little barrels is really crazy,” Sauber says. To illustrate this, he explained that the 7 year-old bourbon he released last year was aged in a 53-gallon barrel and he ended up with 42 gallons of bourbon. From the 60 gallons he initially put in the two 30-gallon barrels, he got only 36 gallons of aged bourbon. He says this tremendous evaporative rate reduced both the water and alcohol, and concentrated a lot of the flavors.

The barrel strength alcohol ended up at 63% ABV, after beginning at 70%. For bottling, Kelly reduced the proof down to 90 proof (45% ABV) using pure water he produces by a reverse osmosis process. This removes all the minerals in the water, which he believes produces a clearer, cleaner final product that shows off the bourbon flavors without the water’s minerals interferring.

No merchant bottling here

Unlike some small local distilleries today that purchase most or all of their bourbon from other larger distillers rather than making it themselves, Sauber made the conscious decision to only offer West End Distillery label products that he makes himself in-house. “My whole concept is trying to use local ingredient as much as possible, so buying somebody else’s product just doesn’t meet that criteria,” he explains.

Sure, he could probably make more money quicker by buying and bottling pre-made whiskey from other, larger distillers, but he chooses not to. He makes that choice because of his commitment to producing an authentic local product — one that truly has the signature of Appalachian Ohio.

You’ll find this locally-sourced ingredient signature in all his West End Distillery brand spirits and his ciders too. He personally knows all the farmers and growers in his region of Ohio that he does business with. That’s what makes West End Distillery and West End Ciderhouse stand out from the crowd. That’s what makes his products truly unique.

While he doesn’t make a lot of bourbons, the ones he does make appear to be highly regarded. A number of years back, he released a 4 year-old bourbon that took a bronze medal at the American Craft Spirits Association national competition, and a couple of years ago his 5 year-old bourbon earned a silver medal at the American Distilling Institute’s competition. Last year’s 7 year-old bourbon took home a silver from the American Craft Spirits Association competition. Kelly says he also plans to enter this new bourbon in a competition to get the judges’ feedback and see how it fares.

From pomace to vodka

Beyond bourbons, Sauber also distills a lot of clear spirits, which make a delicate, clean base for his West End Distillery vodka and gins. Sauber’s specialty clear spirits are produced from a byproduct of the winemaking process at several local vineyards, such as the Shade Winery located along U.S. Rt. 33 just a few miles south of Athens. Those clear spirits use Vidal grape pomace as their input. Pomace is the pulpy residue leftover after the juice has been pressed or extracted from the grapes. To make the clear spirits, Kelly takes the pomace, rehydrates it, and then presses the liquid from it.

The liquid, which contains enough natural fruit sugars to turn into about a 7% ABV small wine, is fermented and then distilled. Sauber uses a double distillation process to complete the job. The first distillation brings the alcohol up to 44%, and the second one takes it to 95% ABV. West End’s clear spirits form the basis for its Coffee Liqueur, Limoncello, Grape-based Vodka, Spicebush Gin, and more.

When life gives you lemons…

The story behind West End’s Limoncello is pretty unique. Sauber’s wife and business partner, Deanna Schwartz, operates the West End Ciderhouse, which sits a half block from the distillery. The popular bar makes many of their own cocktail mixers from scratch rather than using commercial pre-packaged stuff. “We juice a lot of lemons and limes,” Sauber says. The idea hit them one day that, rather than just using fruit for juice and throwing them to composting, they should put that citrus to a second use use producing natural flavoring for a liqueur. Now, prior to juicing the fruit, they peel off the lemon zest and use it to flavor Limoncello.

*Deanna Schwartz at the West End Ciderhouse*

Each case of lemons produces about 5.5 pounds of zest. They steep the zest in their grape-based spirit for a week or two, then add sugar, reduce the proof to 80, and bottle. For the Limoncello, he adds just enough sugar to legally call it a liqueur, which is a 5% concentration. The lower amount of sugar makes a liqueur that is much less viscous and sweet than those typically found in the mass market.

Unique local ingredients an attraction

West End Distillery spirits can get pretty creative and experimental, but they always have that local signature. For example, his Hill Spirits Elder Gin uses locally-sourced berries of Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) as its signature flavoring, rather than the standard western juniper berries (Juniperus communis) that are used in most all American gins. The Juniperus virginiana gives the gin a more cedar-chest quality, instead of the Christmas-tree character imparted by western juniper. HIll Spirits Gin also has Appalachian ginseng and foraged Elderflowers included among its botanical flavoring agents. Seven dollars from the sale of each bottle of this gin goes to United Plant Savers of Rutland, Ohio to support the preservation of native ginseng.

Sauber is also known for distilling small batches of fruit brandy and sorghum-based rum. Of course, all the brandies are made with local fruits. The sorghum for the rum he grew on his own farm. He is currently in the process of developing a new liqueur using Ohio-grown chestnuts. The chestnut liqueur would be similar to a nocino, which is an Italian liqueur made from unripe green walnuts.

In addition to Athens, some West End Distillery bottled products can be purchased at southeastern Ohio liquor agencies in Pomeroy, Gallipolis, Lancaster, and Marietta. For most of the specialty products, however, you’ll need to make a trip to the distillery. Or you can sample all of them at the West End Ciderhouse by-the-ounce or in cocktails.

West End Ciderhouse

In addition to cider, the West End Ciderhouse is known for featuring some of the best cocktail mixologists anywhere in Ohio. “Three of our bartender have been with us over seven years,” says Sauber. You’ll get upgraded cocktail ingredients like fresh-squeezed juice from ginger root used rather than commercial ginger ale and muddled fresh basil — things you don’t commonly find elsewhere in the area.

The ciders for the Ciderhouse, which Sauber also produces, are all made from fresh apples grown within 42 miles of Athens. You won’t find any ciders produced from commercial juice concentrates here. He even has Ohio orchardists growing special heritage variety cider apples just for him. Where else in our region will you find varietal ciders made from Kingston Black and Roxbury Russet apples. So tannic and floral, there’s a whole new cider taste experience awaiting anyone who’s cider experience has been limited to brands from the grocery store.

A true community asset

For those who appreciate maintaining a healthy local foodshed, having a distillery and cidery so committed to it is a great asset. Or if you’re just the adventurous sort and love experiencing new tastes and flavors, this place is for you.