North Shore Distillery

We were newbies to the NSD last weekend. It was a pleasant surprise. The owners are wonderful, down to earth people and they have the sweetest dog! The site is kind of hidden away but they will be moving to a more accessible location soon. The cocktail area is homey. The tour was very informative. The liquor was delicious, sophisticated, and inviting. The cocktails are new and old. Definitely a place we’ll return to.

A little tough to find but WELL worth it. The tour is very interesting and they serve up delicious cocktails on site. We loved everything we tried and walked out with a bottle of just about everything they offer. The quality is superb with such delicate flavor notes that make each spirit special. Their gin and Fireside Orange are both fantastic, as is the citris vodka.

Take the Tour, Meet Ethel! Derek and Sonja are pioneers in distilling in Illinois doing an exceptional job. I briefly met Sonja a few years ago at a Holiday Tasting event at Chicago Botanical Garden and been a customer of their Sol Chamomile Citrus Vodka, Aquavit and Sirene Absinthe Verte. All are just what you should expect from a Craft Distiller. I signed up for the newsletter and been watching events come and go, wish I would have made the short trip and taken a tour of the distiller/​tasting room sooner. The still in human size and very much a hands on operation, Derek takes his time gives you a lot of history and background on distilling, when you leave you appreciate what they do and what to expect from a local distiller that produces some unique high quality product.

Best Tom Collins I’ve ever had. Great No. 6 gin and very nice people. Will definitely be back.

We came here on a whim. What a great experience. The bar tender walked us through so many different kinds of drinks. I tried a traditional absinthe service for the first time. Very unique. We’re coming back.

I came here with people that I work with for a private tour and tasting. It’s hidden far back in an industrial park– don’t be alarmed. You’re going the right way. It’s such a cute little hidden gem in this park. They have a small herb garden out front that they use for garnishes in their drinks. They also have a composter– love that!
We walked in to see an adorable little bar area. Very modern looking. There were three high top tables with chips and pretzels on them for munching. No TVs in sight — just mingling! I love that.
They made us cocktails while we settled in. I had a mule, which was divine. I only sometimes like mules. 1) the vodka must be good. And 2) the ginger beer must be good. And let me tell you– both were!
We then had a tour. The distillery is very small. The tour was very detailed, though. They taught us a lot about the whole process. Very interesting. And they are VERY passionate about what they do.
We made our way back into the bar area (which is open to the public, by the way), where we did our tasting. They chilled booze for us to try. I’m not one to drink straight up booze, unless it’s a shot, but their liquor is so smooth. My favorite was their gin #6 and the absinthe. Like I said, I work in a bar. So when people order gin/​tonic, I now ALWAYS recommend northshore gin #6, and they always love it! Score.
I love supporting local small businesses and had a lovely time at this place. They were all so nice and welcoming.

Excellent spirits used to craft excellent cocktails, combined with excellent service! We arrived during a crazy busy corporate party bus visit, but were taken very good care of by the staff.

A must visit if you’re up in the North suburbs. It is tough to find great gin and NSD does a great job with their #6. Definitely give the tastings it a go if you like that sort of thing. Staff is very knowledgeable and always friendly. Quit buying the Smirnoff and Bombay bottles and collect something of character and quality.
I love that they don’t have a TV. Folks are supposed to chat with each other and focus on the drink. They don’t accept tips, but if you feel inclined, it gets donated to a local animal shelter. Super!

Very hard to find but so worth finding! Tucked away in an industrial park… Looked for the decorative lights.
Well appointed tasting room coupled with immensely informative owner and… Hhmmm… Insulting to call her a bartender since she was so much more that that… Professional, intelligent and very well versed on all things «cocktails».
All drinks are ten bucks: tip and taxes included. I tried three different cocktails and throughly enjoyed them all. Plus you get an explanation of the cocktails ingredients and history.
My husband had the gin tasting which was remarkable. All three were markedly different.
This place every is well worth a visit or two. We enjoyed our visit and will be back. It’s set up like a private club so you could easily grab some friends and spend some time there. No food but pretzels but can easily bring some in or have food delivered once you realize you don’t want to leave!

Yes the tasting room is off a warehouse parking lot… yes it is mostly empty… except for the smiling owner!!! And yes you can get the best Vodka you have ever tasted. Bring a group of friends and have a cocktail before a night out, or two. The tasting room is lovely, clean and inviting, you will not be sorry!

We tasted several of the spirits, then had a couple cocktails.
The North Shore Vodka was exquisite. I really loved the Sol Chamomile Citrus Vodka. A winner I could drink no matter the season. The Tahitian Vanilla Vodka will make a guest appearance in my dessert baking.
I’m not a gin person usually, but I really liked the Distiller’s Gin No 6. Complex and delicious. We also had the Aquavit and the Absinthe. Every one was a winner! These people know what they are doing.
Cocktails were Nordic Mule — a Moscow Mule made with Aquavit — ordered for my husband since it wasn’t sweet. He also had a Spring Blush, which was The No 6 Gin, lemon, green tea syrup, and bitters.
I had a Cherry Fizz — the signature vodka, cherry thyme syrup, lemon and fizzy water; a Sol Cosmo with the Sol Chamomile Citrus Vodka, cranberry, orange liqueur and lime; and a Sol Sister with the Sol Chamomile Citrus Vodka, orange liqueur, lemon, and fizzy water.
Everything was SO GOOD. Perfectly balanced, and they take great care in the tasting room experience. Chilled items were perfectly chilled, including chilled glasses. Room temp was room temp, not sub zero.
Brought home a bottle of the Sol Chamomile Citrus Vodka and the Tahitian Vanilla Vodka.
AND they have a spit bucket on the bar. A thoughtful addition since *someone* has to drive home.
VERY personable owners and staff. Do stop in if you are in the area. We had a great day!

We had heard that, somewhere in the odd little industrial patch of unincorporated areas/​Lake Bluff/​unincorporated areas was a craft distillery, but, much like any good speakeasy, it was a little bit hard to find. Just when you think you’ve gone past a few too many warehouses and machine shops, you will see some unassuming signage that leads you to an unassuming storefront-​ish area in a corrugated metal building. From the exterior, you might wonder what you’ll find when you step inside, but the small, stylish tasting room and cocktail bar that doubles as a store was pretty neat.
They specialize in small batches of distilled spirits, mostly white spirits (although we were told that they do bust out some test batches of a single malt that’s done in an Irish style, as well as poitin (Irish moonshine) for their St. Pat’s celebration). They do a nice tasting… for five bucks, you can sample any three spirits. My husband chose the more herb-​infused of their gin offerings, their aquavit, and their absinthe. The nicely handlebar-​moustachioed barman seemed like the kind of guy who enjoyed mixing cocktails, so I had their Swedish Mary, which involved the aquavit and a locally-​produced bloody mary mix… quite tasty! Since we randomly wandered in at like 1 p.m. on a Saturday, we were the only ones bellied up, but they are open into the evening on Saturdays, and the tasting room/​cocktail lounge seems like it would be a neat place to bring booze-​nerd pals and socialize.
My husband is a Scotch guy, and he and the very knowledgeable bartender were able to compare notes on a whole lot of different spirits. We swung by on a whim once we figured out where it was, not sure what to expect, and it was just delightful. It’s not a big operation, but it’s obvious they’re really into what they do, and it seems like a fun place.
They also do Saturday distillery tours, so we’ll probably hit that up at some point.

Okay, we pulled into a dark, desolate parking lot of the main drag back by some trucking loading docks. Friends in the car are laughing a lot thinking my google GPS took us somewhere hilarious. Wait a sec, did I really type it that wrong? I only had one drink before we left… No I was not driving!
So, the first stop on our Lake Bluff night out was earning lots of laughs, but actually, this is the spot! Discreet doesn’t quite get the point across…
So we were pleasantly surprised at the tasting room and had a good time drinking some samples (3 for $ 5). We were the only people there, but it was a good time.
A+ in my book for local anything, bonus that its vodka made from our own great lake!
They are in stores locally so you can stop in Binnys to stock up. I think this would be a great gift, esp for someone from out of town.
Checked out their write up in Edible Chicago too, very nice!
P.S-call ahead for a tour, they don’t just run ‘em all day.

North Shore Distillery has some of the best spirits you’ll ever taste. My personal favorites are the Sol Chamomile Citrus Vodka and the Gin #11, but every spirit there is a delight. They’re smooth but still full of robust flavor. If you’re north of Chicago and you haven’t been here, you’re missing out.

I just bought a bottle of absinthe here. Very helpful and friendly.

Hubby and I tried something different the day before new years eve. We came here for cocktails and found a place on Unilocal nearby for dinner. (see my review on Rita’s).
It was a perfect evening that we will recreate again.
We got here about 5pm. The best spirits and some fun cocktails. Hubby had a gin and tonic with their #6 gin, and I had a special cocktail with rum and absinthe. Both were top notch and only $ 8 each.
The owners serve and visit with the guests. They are such a cool couple and are passionate about what they do.
It was a nice quaint atmosphere to have a few cocktails, then head less than a half a mile away to Rita’s for dinner!

Met Sonia (one of the owners) at a tasting. It was great to hear how she and her husband started this distillery and to see her beam with excitement. I tried the Absinthe (which, yes folks, is now legal again) and it was truly a dance on my taste buds. So many sensations and flavors. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of their tasting room to bring friends and introduce them to our very own local distillery and their still «Ethel». Look forward to trying their Aquavit as well as their Vodka.

North Shore’s number 11 gin… wow! It’s really good. It’s a bold gin, the way it should taste. The number 6 is good too with a bit more citrus taste to it. Will be fun to make light gin drinks with number 6 this summer. Good job folks.

I have met Sonia (one of the owners) on several occasions at wine and/​or spirt tastings in the past. They make all of their spirts in Lake Bluff Illinois. I love supporting local businesses. I find their North Shore Vodka to be outstanding. It is wonderfully smooth and a pleasure to drink.
I had the opportunity to taste their Aquavit last evening. It has amazing herbal notes with the expected caraway. I was able to try it in a Bloody Mary, it was wonderful.
They have a terrific herbaceous gin (North Shore Gin #6) it makes the best gin martini I have every had.