After more than 16 years of brewing beers, a Meigs County man decided he wanted to take a shot at producing beverages with a higher percentage of alcohol.
To pursue his dream of creating handcrafted spirits, Kelly Sauber partnered with Deanna Schwartz to found Dancing Tree Distillery in his Meigs County backyard in 2010. Two years later, the operation became a fully licensed distillery, selling vodka and gin since April.
Located on Sauber’s two acres of land at 41625 Bearwallow Ridge Rd. in Shade, Ohio, the distillery is made up of three structures: a stand alone solar warehouse, the cooking and fermentation distillery structure, and a old farmhouse that will soon be a tasting room for tours once renovations are complete.
The distillery creates three spirits: a seasonal vodka distilled from grapes, a year-round vodka distilled from grain, and a spicebush gin. Sauber’s four 200-gallon fermentators allow him to produce about 250 bottles per week.
The “premium, top-shelf, un-aged” spirits cost about $35, are 80 proof (40 percent alcohol) and take about three weeks to make in the facility, Sauber said.
Sauber got his start in alcoholic beverage production at an early age and began with beer, not spirits.
“I was first introduced to brewing when my 18th birthday occurred, right after the legal drinking age changed from 18 to 21,” Sauber said. “Because I was too young to buy beer and really wanted it, I decided to brew my own. I couldn’t legally buy beer, but I could legally buy all the ingredients to make some.”
After finishing the Craft Brewers Preparation Program at Siebel Institute of Technology in 1996, Sauber was hired to help launch BrewMasters in Cincinnati. He then went on to work for Marietta Brewing Company for 12 years, before leaving to start Dancing Tree Distillery.
“I was ready to expand my brewing skills and knowledge,” Sauber said. “Being a pro brewer, I had mastered the mash, and I thought distilling my own spirits would take my brewing skills to the next level.”
Sauber brought those skills to Dancing Tree, where about 80 percent of the distillery’s raw ingredients are grown within a 22-mile radius of their shop, he said.
“Our focus is to make the best bottle of vodka or gin that we can, while helping to support our friends and neighbors who are also in this region,” Sauber said. “When you can keep your money local, you are helping our local economy, and Dancing Tree Distillery can help make that happen.”
Some local ingredients include Vidal grapes from Shade Winery, non-genetically modified corn grown by Cowdery Farms, Dawn Chorus Coffee distributed by Athens’ Own, Integration Acres’ wild-harvested spicebush, and honey from Cantrell Honey & Candles.
Larry Cowdery, owner of Cowdery Farms, said he is a big supporter of the distillery’s commitment to supporting the local food economy.
“What (Sauber) is doing with his products is great,” Cowdery said. “By incorporating local ingredients into the products, not only does (he) make them high quality, but he is helping me and other farmers continue to make a living. I can’t thank him enough for that.”
Although Dancing Tree Distillery’s products have only been on the market for four months, Sauber said they are available at liquor agencies in Athens, Marietta and Columbus and at 35 different restaurants and bars throughout those cities, such as Casa Cantina, Tony’s Tavern, Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, and Zoe Fine Dining.
Casa bartender Aggie Gabbard said that although the cantina doesn’t sell a specific drink using Dancing Tree Distillery’s spirits, it carries all three products. She described the vodka and gin as being “really smooth” and said they sell very well.
“Casa’s mission has always been to buy as much local as we can,” Gabbard said. “It’s really cool to be able to do that with alcohol by supporting Dancing Tree Distillery. People are really intrigued by local vodka and gin.”
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