Cheers! New craft distillery debuts in area

TAMPA — Dark Door Spirits, Tampa’s newest craft distillery, debuted its inaugural products, Spirit of Probition gin and Spirit of IPA whiskey, at the second annual Whiskey Tampa Foxtrot event hosted by Bern’s Steak House and the Epicurean Hotel.

“Ours is an edgy and distinct product,” Dark Door partner Tony Miller states in a press release. “Like that dark door at the bottom of the stairs, opening one of our bottles should make you a little nervous. But on the other side, you’re rewarded with an experience that really gets your senses firing.”

According to the release, Spirit of Prohibition is a unique honey-colored gin that is soaked for two weeks with a blend of lavender and rose hips, a practice largely abandoned since the days of Prohibition. The Spirit of IPA is whiskey distilled from IPA beer made by Crooked Thumb, a local brewery, and then blended with three-year aged corn whiskey and put in a small barrel for six months.

“Our flavor profiles are not meant to be an oddity,” Miller states in the release. “Without a doubt, they are different, but the type of different you want to drink over and over again. We’re pushing to find something unique that leads to a great drinking experience.”

In addition to making its products available for purchase at local retail locations, Dark Door Spirits plans to roll out a membership club in which members would pay a yearly fee that includes a bottle per quarter, along with access to exclusive releases and events.