Manatawny Still Works

Manatawny Still Works (or MSW for short) is a brand of American whiskey, rum, and gin. It is produced in Pottstown, Pennsylvania along the bank of the Manatawny Creek. When speaking of the Manatawny Creek and themselves, the distillery states:

"An 18.2-mile-long tributary of the mighty Schuylkill River cuts through the countryside and has become home to a winery, a brewery and, now, a distillery. First named by the Lenape Indians Man'en'tau'wata'wik, "the place we meet to drink," and it means the same to us today... Manatawny Still Works was developed to produce world class spirits with character in small batches. Our distillery is modern, but our practices are based on old world production with a reverent nod to the history of the region. From the Lenape Indians, whose name for the nearby creek we borrowed for our distillery to historical figures of importance, for whom we named some of our very first spirits. The spirit of Manatawny is focused on quality, but rooted in the past."^[1]

Production process

The Wash (distilling) for Manatawny is produced through a working relationship with Sly Fox Brewery, and is distilled in Italian copper stills from Barison Industry.^[2][3] After the distilling and filtering, the whiskey is stored in new oak barrels, which help to give aged products their signature flavor and color.^[4]

Master distiller

Max Pfeffer, former lead brewer at Sly Fox Brewing Company, became Manatawny's master distiller in 2013. He is the first in the distillery's history and comes with a chemical engineering degree from Penn State and Master Brewer credential from UC Davis. In addition to having worked with Sly Fox, he also spent time brewing at Victory Brewing Company.^[5]

Distillery

The Manatawny Still Works in Pottstown is situated along the Manatawny Creek. The names of the unaged rum and whiskey pay homage to local colonial Americans and ironworkers.^[6] The distillery is a tourist attraction, offering a full service cocktail bar, tours of the facility, and hosting food trucks and live music.^[7]

Labels

• Hidden River Barrel Rested Gin: Amber color gin (94 proof/47% ABV).
• J. Potts Whiskey: Unaged whiskey (94 proof/47% ABV).
• Keystone Whiskey: Aged, four-grain, blended (90 proof/45% ABV).
• Odd Fellows No.214: Unaged gin (94 proof/47% ABV).
• Small Batch: Cask Strength: Uncut small batch. Distinguished by a gold seal on the bottle with the individual bottle number (120.8 proof/60.4% ABV).
• Small Batch Rum: Aged light rum, numbered limited release within each batch (94 proof/47% ABV).
• Small Batch Whiskey: Unique blend, barrel aged, numbered limited release. Each Batch is distinctly numbered, starting with 01 released Dec 5,2014 (94 proof/47% ABV).
• T. Rutter Rum: Unaged rum (80 proof/40% ABV).

Cocktails

• Manatawny Small Batch Whiskey is the alcoholic component of "Stein", a cocktail offered at The Brewer's Art in Baltimore.
• Manatawny Small Batch Whiskey is the alcoholic component of "Manatawny Smash", a cocktail offered at the Mt. Washington Tavern in Baltimore.
• Manatawny Small Batch Whiskey is the alcoholic component of "Old Plow Mule", a cocktail offered at Grill at Harryman House in Reisterstown, Maryland.

Awards

• 'Best of the Best: Hard Liquor' for 2016 - County Lines Magazine.^[8]
• '10 Great Spirits' - Philly.com.^[9]
• 'Best Distillery' for 2015 - Main Line Today.^[10]
• 'Best Worth-the-Wait Newcomer' for 2014 - Main Line Today.^[11]
• 'Triple Gold - Best of Show - Taste' for Odd Fellows No.214 - MicroLiquor Spirit Awards.^[12]
• 'Gold - Taste' for Small Batch Whiskey #03 & J. Potts Whiskey - MicroLiquor Spirit Awards.^[12]
• 'Silver Medal' for Small Batch Rum #03, Small Batch Whiskey #06, & Small Batch Whiskey #07 Cask Strength - 2016 American Craft Spirits Awards.^[13]
• 'Bronze Medal' for Odd Fellows & J Potts Whiskey - 2016 American Craft Spirits Awards.^[13]
• 'Gold Medal - Best American Single Malt Whiskey' for Small Batch Whiskey #06 - The Fifty Best.^[14]
• 'Double Gold - Highest Score - Best Moonshine' for J Potts Whiskey - The Fifty Best.^[15]

Distribution

As of June 1, 2016, Manatawny products can be purchased through distributors in Washington D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In addition to in person sales at local stores and the distillery itself, Manatwany products can be shipped to 32 additional states through Ezra's.^[16]

See also

• Sly Fox Brewery

References

Further reading

• Axelrod, Alan. The complete idiot's guide to mixing drinks. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books. ISBN 0-02-864468-9. Retrieved October 7, 2009. 
• Waymack, M. H., & Harris, J. F. (1995). The book of classic American whiskeys. Chicago, Illinois: Open Court.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manatawny Still Works.

• Official website

Coordinates: 40°15′55″N 75°40′4″W / 40.26528°N 75.66778°W / 40.26528; -75.66778