Escape from Douchebaggery, Part 26: Las Vegas Distillery

Ah, whiskey.

When beer just isn't strong enough to do the trick, I like to drink a nice glass of whiskey on the rocks. And then another. And then a few more.

While there are a few good breweries in Las Vegas, there were no distilleries in Nevada (well, legal ones, at least). Until now.

Charming raconteur George Racz  is the mastermind behind the newly opened Las Vegas Distillery, which was founded just two years ago to  become the state's first legal liquor distillery. Open to the public, George is happy to offer tours of his facilities and teach people about the process of crafting his delicious concoctions. He'll also tell you his completely fascinating life story, as the charismatic liquor craftsman is quickly becoming a local hero.


At this point, he can't legally pour drinks on his premises. But soon enough, his tasting room should be open for business. (I'm hoping against hope it's up and running by the time I visit Sin City next, but that might be wishful thinking.)

While you can't drink at the distillery, his bottles are available in a bunch of local stores. The self taught distiller has taught himself super-well. I haven't gotten to sample all of his offerings yet, but George's Devil's Darling Seven Grain Whiskey from his "Whiskeysmith Collection" is excellent straight or on the rocks, and his Shorty Harris Corn Bourbon is terrific too (while many Southerners claim the only real Bourbon comes from Kentucky, they'll just have to get over it because George's riff is incredible).

Their most unique concoction is their one of a kind series of "Rumskeys," which are exactly as their name implies... a series of Rum and Whiskey blends double distilled from fermented molasses/rum base and whiskey mash/ whiskey base. The distillery offers a few styles of their the mad scientist's concoction, including barell aged Baby and a White, which was awarded a Gold Medal at this year's San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It sounds crazy, but the Frankenstein creation is actually super drinkable (and capable of getting you TOTALLY MESSED UP if you're not careful).

George also makes a few different Vodkas. I'm sure they're all just as good as everything else he crafts, but I don't really drink Vodka all that often because I'm not a 19 year old college girl.

The Distillery is also working on a Big Barrell aged Whiskey series and aged Rumskeys in Bourbon, Rye, and Single Malt varieties that won't be available until 2014, but leave my mouth watering in anticipation. I'm sure they will all kick serious kinds of ass.

While you can't sample the wares on the premises, it's still worth a visit to The Las Vegas Distillery to see how George Racz and his merry band of liquor craftspeople make their magic. And then immediately find a store that sells his product for a night of locally sourced partying.