By Kate Bartlett
This October marks the 7-year anniversary for the Ellicottville Distillery located at 5462 Robbins Road just a few miles outside the village. The Distillery offers a homegrown approach to the age-old practice of distilling, nestled in the heart of the Cattaraugus County mountains.
Owner and distiller Bryan Scarf opened doors to the Distillery in 2016 with only 2 products, a vodka and a clear whisky. He had a passion for distilling and sought to open a Distillery to share this craft with the community. The Distillery has always offered a laid-back, casual and welcoming atmosphere with an on-site tasting room of uniquely hand-crafted cocktails.
Over the years, the space has evolved to include more spirits and accommodate a larger crowd. While still intimate and cozy, the tasting room now offers over 25 cocktails and 8-10 spirits including bourbon, whiskey, rye, honey spirit, appleshine, maple bourbon crème, blueberry vodka, regular vodka and gins.
The expansive outdoor space offers incredible views of the sweeping hills and allows guests to unwind in the great outdoors. The Distillery frequently hosts live music in their outdoor space, along with artisan and vendor markets. “We aim to be a destination,” says Bryan. “We hope our guests relax and unwind in the great outdoors in good company, with great spirits.”
Throughout the seasons, The Distillery takes advantage of their outdoor spacing hosting a variety of events including their annual car and motorcycle shows, Pig Roast on the 4th of July with fireworks, Duck Derby during the Kentucky Derby, Distilled and Chilled Music Fest, Liquor Mile (soon to be 5k) with New Year’s Eve fireworks and their upcoming Punkin’ Chunkin’ every October. “The events just took shape as the Distillery became more established. We’re always thinking of new ideas to bring people out for the day to have a good time.”
The Distillery is also available for events and private parties. “It’s the perfect location for any outdoor event or wedding. We have a creek that runs through the back of our 20-acre property and can accommodate up to 300 guests. There’s plenty of space for event tents and we’ve recently added a handcrafted wooden trellis to complete the perfect outdoor backdrop.”
Bryan invites everyone out to the Distillery located at 5462 Robbins Road for their 7th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday October 7th for a day of laid back festivities. “We’ll have live music, food vendors, charcuterie and snacks. Bring the family and spend the day with us during Fall Fest.”
The Distillery plans to continue their annual events, and has more plans for this upcoming year. They will be releasing a 6-year-old Burbon for the holidays this upcoming December. Bryan’s good friend Chad Neal (and trusty writer for The Villager) has been working on an 18-hole golf course on the property expected to be completed this Spring.
Bryan is grateful to for the support from the community, and for his hard-working staff. “Everyone at the Distillery helps out where they can and we couldn’t do it without them. Thanks to everyone who has helped and supported us in anyway.”
While the Distillery has certainly grown and evolved over the years, it still offers the same welcoming, laid-back atmosphere as it was founded. Come out and say cheers to Bryan and the crew to celebrate 7 years of Distilling on Saturday October 7, at 12pm.