All Points West Distillery

Quick Overview of the Distillery

All Points West Distillery is located in Newark's Ironbound and produces small-scale spirits by combining historical European distillation techniques with local American ingredients. The distillery operates grain-to-bottle in one facility, where malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation, aging and bottling take place on-site. The result is a range of award-winning pot-still whiskies as well as gin, vodka and rum rooted in the region's own water and industrial history.

History

The distillery opened in September 2017 by Gil Spaier with the aim of reintroducing and combining old European distillation techniques with American ingredients and traditions in Newark. Already in 2019 the distillery gained significant recognition, as MALT and Grain Pot Still Whiskey was awarded gold and named "Whiskey of the Year" at USA Spirits Rating. In the years that followed the distillery continued to win awards: Mid-Atlantic Pot Still Rye won Double Gold and Best of Class at Craft Distillers Competition in 2022, Grain and Malt edition received a gold medal at Bartender Spirits Awards in 2023, and Mid-Atlantic Rye was rated by Whiskey Advocate in 2024. The history is characterized by a targeted revival of regional styles and ongoing product development.

Raw Materials and Production

All Points West makes whisky from grain to bottle in one facility: the grain is milled in an old-fashioned roller mill, malt whisky is mashed in a traditional lauter tun, and several of their mash-bills use Irish malt from County Cork as well as German malt and locally sourced/regional grains such as organic New York corn. Fermentation takes place in small open washbacks, and distillation occurs in two small Holstein-style copper-and-steel stills. The distillery emphasizes craftsmanship in small batches, hand-filling and labeling on-site, and a pronounced focus on using water from Newark's protected watershed in the Appalachian region.

Maturation and Cask Types

Aging takes place on-site and uses a combination of locally produced 1/2-cask finishes as well as both new and used American white oak barrels depending on the expression. One of the core expressions is aged in virgin American white oak, while other expressions use a blend of used and new casks. The distillery highlights local craftsmanship in selecting and composing the casks and experiments with smaller cask sizes to achieve the desired development.

Whiskies

The portfolio centers around several pot-still whiskies: a revived Mid-Atlantic Pot Still Rye and two Trans-Atlantic pot-still expressions (MALT and GRAIN and Malt). These releases flank the distillery's other spirits (gin, vodka, rum), but the whiskies form the core and have won multiple awards. Some variants are marked as temporarily unavailable, while others are actively sold and distributed locally.

Whisky Style and Flavor Profile

The mix of raw materials and cask choices gives a cohesive style that spans from fruity notes and warm spices to malted and nutty nuances. Mid-Atlantic Rye is described as fruity with warm spice and a long finish; one of the pot-still expressions is described with cedar and a light smoky note, while another is mentioned with hazelnut, plum, cherry and baking spices. The combination of malt, rye and American oak thus yields fruit, spice, malt character and wood notes across the range.

Visit the Distillery

The distillery offers guided tours and tastings on Saturdays and select Sundays only by advance booking; there are no walk-ins. A typical tour begins with 15 minutes of sign-in and a welcome cocktail, followed by about a 30-minute tour and ends with 40 minutes of tasting in the tasting room, where a four-spirit flight is served. Guests are asked not to arrive more than five minutes before tour start, as the doors are locked between tours. The tasting room is at 73 Tichenor Street, and there is street parking in the area.

The stated opening hours are Saturdays and select Sundays: pre-booked.

Philosophy and Craft

All Points West consciously works to reintroduce historic, transatlantic distillation techniques combined with American ingredients. The distillery's declared values include revival of lost regional craftsmanship, production in small batches, grain-to-bottle practices, and local roots in Newark's Ironbound.

Awards and Recognitions

• Whiskey of the Year & Gold (2019, Gold; Whisky of the Year; Best Spirit of the Year by Packaging, MALT and Grain Pot Still Whiskey)

• 97 Points, Double Gold, Best of Class (2022, 97 Points, Double Gold, Best of Class, Mid-Atlantic Pot Still Rye)

• Gold (2023, Gold, GRAIN and Malt Pot Still Whiskey)

• Double Gold (Double Gold (for gin))