Central Standard Craft Distillery is turning 10 and plans to celebrate with a party and a special bourbon release.
The party will be held on Saturday, Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. at the Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen, 320 E. Clybourn St. There will be live music, DJs on the rooftop patio, exclusive tastings, bourbon samples, free snacks and discounts on select cocktails and bourbons.
The first 100 guests will also get a free airplane bottle of Central Standard’s new Founders Reserve Anniversary Bourbon, which will be released that day in 750ml bottles.
The new bourbon does not carry an age statement.
Evan Hughes and Pat McQuillan founded Central Standard in Walker’s Point in 2014, later expanding to a much larger production facility on the near West Side on Clybourn Avenue, making whiskeys, brandies, cherry vodka, canned and ready-to-pour cocktails and more.
Central Standard also launched a Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned Hall of Fame in 2022.
In 2021, it renovated an 1874 Edward Townsend Mix-designed retail building – a cream city brick gem that was desperately in need of love – into a tasting room, restaurant and events venue with a rooftop patio. That is the Crafthouse & Kitchen, and it celebrates its 150th year in 2024.
You can read a history of that building in this Urban Spelunking story.
“From the start, our goal was to create a brand and an experience that truly represents the Midwest,” says Hughes. “Our name, drawn from our local time zone, and our logo, featuring a hardworking Wisconsinite, reflect the essence of Midwest culture and the people who enjoy our spirits.”
“We’re grateful for everyone’s unwavering support over the past decade,” adds McQuillan.
“From our partners to customers, we dedicate this milestone to you. We look forward to many more years of creating spirits and experiences that resonate with the Midwest.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
