Think Whiskey started in Kentucky? Think again.
“The Mid-Atlantic has been a hotbed of alcohol ingenuity from its start–as the birthplace of Rye Whiskey and home of the 1790s Whiskey Rebellion,” says Meredith Meyer Grelli, Founder and Chair of the Whiskey Rebellion Trail and owner of Pittsburgh craft distillery Wigle Whiskey.
In its inaugural year, the Trail will focus on craft distilleries and museums, with the intention of adding bars, restaurants,and hotels as part of the complete passport offering.
The trail offers several options. Visitors can follow a curated itinerary to travel along a multi-day Master Trail, taking them through the heart of the Whiskey Rebellion and through each major city in the region, including Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, DC and Philadelphia.
Or visitors can buy weekender and one-day passes for each region, including for Washington, DC, Bedford,Lancaster and Bucks Counties and the Laurel Highlands in Pennsylvania.
Passes, available at www.whiskeyrebelliontrail.com, include entrance to museums, including the Senator John Heinz History Center,George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and the Museum of the American Revolution, as well as cocktails, flights and tours at the 70 participating distilleries. Passes will range in price from free to $165 for an annual pass. Visitors will be able to track their progress on their mobile device.
“We see the Trail as a wonderful way to showoff our region’s rich history as well as its emergence as an area with something for everyone, including spirits and craft beers, our arts and food scenes, family fun activities and great museums. The burgeoning craft distilleries of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington, D.C. represent one of the most prolific craft producing regions in the country,” says Craig Davis,president/CEO, Visit Pittsburgh and Founding Trail Advisory Board member.
“This isn’t a scripted trail, but a living historic trail filled with entrepreneurship in its earliest form, rebels and rebellion, taxes, and are solute spirit that continues to this day,” said Ann Nemanic, Executive Director, Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau. “We want visitors to raise a glass and toast those who literally lead the charge for the beverages we savor today.”