Small Batch Distillery with Cat roaming the premises
More difficult to find than breweries in the state of Utah, distilleries are few and far between. Found among several of the breweries in South Salt Lake, Beehive Distilling is a great space to grab a drink and some spirits to go.
Prior to moving to the state, I had no idea that Utah's state nickname was the "Beehive state." This nickname was chosen as the beehive was to be a symbol of hard work and industry (and here I thought it was a symbol of honey). The distillery has adopted the state nickname as their own.
The distillery started with a desire to give gin a bit more love. Their belief was that gin "shouldn't taste like a citrus drink, and it shouldn't taste like cleaning fluid." I tend to agree with this thought process.
Upon arriving the distillery, you'll find a small retail store to the right. Here, you'll find Beehive merchandise as well as bottles and cans of their beverages.
After an ID check, the tasting room opens up into a large space with a variety of seating options and artwork on display.
At the center of it all is a large bar filled with bottles of liquor, ingredients for mixology, and even some local beers on tap.
The brewery does offer the occasional tour on Saturdays, which allows you to go beyond the tasting room and see some of the operations of the distillery. Beyond learning about the distilling process, you'll learn about distillery cats from all over the world.
While the drinks and the space are great, the draw for us was the distillery cat named Gimlet, named after a classic cocktail that is simple and sweet. The distillery adopted her from Best Friends Lifesaving Center here in Utah. She can be found playing games of chicken with the forklifts, sleeping in her whiskey barrel (modified for her comfort, chasing toy cars, and keeping the distillery free of rodents.
While seeing Gimlet is certainly a special treat, the distillery is a great place to grab a drink and give gin another try!
Know Before You Go
The tour only occurs on select days (often Saturday) and books up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot in advance.
Tours (at time of publishing) cost $5 per person.
There are no televisions in the bar.
There are no guarantees that you'll see Gimlet. Cats play by their own set of rules, so she may be sleeping in the back.
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Location
Found in South Salt Lake amongst many local craft breweries. Right at the intersection of the 15 and 80 freeways.