Middle West Spirits

Middle West Spirits is a grain-to-glass distillery in Columbus, Ohio, built on the idea that a whiskey's character starts with the seed, not the still. Founded in 2008 by Ryan Lang, the distillery controls its own supply chain from Ohio farm fields through fermentation, distillation, barreling and bottling, and it has become known for a mashbill ingredient almost no one else in American whiskey touches: dark pumpernickel rye.

History & Heritage

Ryan Lang started Middle West Spirits in 2008 with a commitment to sourcing local Ohio grain, including soft red winter wheat, yellow corn, dark pumpernickel rye, and two-row barley. That local-grain focus led to a genuine first: Middle West Spirits became the first American distillery to use dark pumpernickel rye in a whiskey mashbill, a grain more commonly associated with dense European breads than with distilling. The choice gave the distillery a signature flavor identity from the start.

Early production ran through a German pot-and-column still. As demand grew, Middle West Spirits undertook a major expansion completed in 2024, adding a 75,000-square-foot production facility built around a 78-foot distillation tower housing a 60-inch by 55-foot Vendome Copper column still and doubler, positioning the distillery among the ten largest grain-to-glass whiskey producers in the United States. In May 2025, Middle West Spirits expanded its national footprint by acquiring Old Elk Distillery and its related assets, broadening its portfolio beyond its Columbus roots. As of July 2026, Middle West Spirits remains independently owned and operated by its founding team, with Ryan Lang continuing to serve as co-founder, CEO, and Master Distiller.

The Whiskey

Middle West Spirits ferments its mash for 72 hours in closed-top vessels, then distills new make spirit to 135.5 proof before barreling it down at 120 proof. Barrels come from Speyside Cooperage in Jackson, Ohio, finished with medium and high toasts and #3 or #4 char levels, a combination chosen to work with the distillery's grain-forward spirit rather than mask it.

The Dark Pumpernickel Straight Rye Whiskey is the clearest expression of the house style: an 80% dark pumpernickel rye mashbill, balanced with yellow corn, Ohio soft red winter wheat, and two-row barley, aged at least three years. It carries the earthy, bread-crust character the grain is known for, filtered through classic rye spice.

The Double Cask Collection extends that base spirit through secondary maturation in a rotating set of specialty casks. The Oloroso Wheat Whiskey starts as Ohio soft red winter wheat whiskey aged in American white oak, then finishes in Oloroso Sherry casks. The Pumpernickel Rye Whiskey, also released as Ported Pumpernickel Rye, ages five years, four in American white oak and roughly one more in French Tawny Port casks. The Double Cask Vino De Naranja blends Dark Pumpernickel Rye and Wheat Whiskeys, aged four years in new American white oak before one to two years in Spanish Vino de Naranja casks. The Napoleon Calvados Cask-Finished Whiskey follows the same five-year arc, finishing in casks that previously held Napoleon Calvados apple brandy. The Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Sherry Casks ages five to six years in American white oak before finishing in sun-blackened sherry casks, a bottling that took Best in Show and Double Gold for Sherry Cask Finished 6 Years Old Bourbon Whiskey at the 2024 TAG Global Spirits Awards.

Why It Matters

Middle West Spirits built a reputation on ingredient integrity rather than borrowed sourced whiskey, a distinction that matters in a category where "craft" often means someone else's distillate with a new label. The distillery was named U.S. Distillery of the Year at the 2016 Berlin International Spirits Competition, and its OYO Dark Pumpernickel Rye Whiskey won Double Gold and Best in Show at the 2016 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition. Its Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey, bottled as Michelone Reserve and Michelone Reserve Cask Strength, took Platinum and Double Platinum at the 2022 Ascot Awards, and its Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey was named Best American Single Cask Single Rye at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards. For those who appreciate good whiskey and want to taste what Ohio grain, not just Kentucky limestone water, can bring to a mashbill, Middle West Spirits offers one of the more distinctive regional identities in American whiskey today. The Sentinel Room's Reserve Whiskey Library carries a run of the distillery's cask-finished expressions, giving guests a direct comparison across sherry, port, calvados, and orange-wine cask finishes from a single house style.

Visiting the Distillery

Middle West Spirits offers public guided tours and tastings on Fridays and Saturdays at its Courtland Avenue facility in Columbus. Tours run about an hour and include optional spirit samples, priced at $10 to $11 per guest with discounts for military and seniors. Private group tours and tastings can be arranged by appointment. The property also houses Service Bar, a full-service on-site restaurant and bar, along with a bottle shop for purchasing expressions directly from the distillery.