Food

National Craft Distillery Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

Annually, National Craft Distillery Day is observed on May 22. It raises a glass to the one-of-a-kind and innovative beverages produced by small-batch distilleries. Additionally, the holiday recognises the variety of distilled spirits and how they can be made more accessible. It is for anyone who enjoys a tall craft alcohol cocktail.

The background of National Craft Distillery Day

The industry of spirit distillation is not a novel one. Rather, it has a long and illustrious history dating back to the ancient Greeks. Anaxilaus of Thessaly created the earliest known formulas for wine distillation. The Greeks adopted Anaxilaus’ idea as their own. Over time, they discovered that when wine was boiled in an exposed container, the hot, but extremely intoxicating alcohol vapour was the first to escape. Therefore, they began capturing the vapour, which was nearly as popular as the wine itself.

Slowly heating the wine in a vessel with a small aperture covered by a bowl allowed the alcohol to condense as vapour within the bowl. A tube with a downward slope was added to this configuration. The vapour was condensed and captured in the receiving vessel after being cooled. That is the meaning of “distil.” The origin of the word is the Latin verb distillare, which means “to drip down.” This method was perfected over the centuries to produce wines comparable to Dom Perignon.

The emergence of craft breweries occurred in the 1990s. Small artisanal distilleries of today offer alternatives to the beverages produced by large commercial distilleries. They produce a variety of alcoholic beverages, including gin, whisky, bourbon, rum, and vodka. Locally sourced ingredients, such as hints of ginger, the tartness of lemons, or remnants of cinnamon, are commonly used by craft distillers to impart distinctive flavours to their products. Consequently, what began as a niche industry now has consumers from all over the world. And as the demand for unique spirits increases, an increasing number of distilleries are producing singular craft spirits.

Activities on National Craft Distillery Day

Toast with a drink.

National Craft Distillery Day cannot be observed without a tall glass of your preferred craft spirit. On this holiday, decompress after a long day with your favourite beverage!

Visit a distillery

Have you ever pondered how your preferred craft beverage is distilled? On National Craft Distillery Day, visit a craft distillery to get all your queries answered. On this holiday, numerous distilleries host events and tastings, so you can take your choice.

Make your own

On National Craft Distillery Day, accept the challenge of distilling your own beverages and try your hand at it. You could attend a distilling workshop or study via an online tutorial — you have many options!