Description
Watershed was founded by Greg Lehman and Dave Rigo in 2010, but the idea to start a distillery was conceived years earlier while Lehman was playing professional volleyball in Switzerland. Inspired by the locally produced spirits that were common in the area, Greg thought about the possibility of creating spirits in his Ohio hometown. He shared his idea with Dave and they began working on making it a reality. Before prohibition, Ohio was home to dozens of distilleries producing unique flavors specific to the region. However, since prohibition Ohio had become one of the most difficult states to start a distillery. In 2007, Greg and Dave began working on what would become the newest addition to the very long history of micro-distilling in Ohio – Watershed Distillery, known for its handcrafted, artisan-quality vodka, gins, and bourbon.
Four Peel Gin from Watershed Distillery
Watershed Distillery Tasting Note
Four Peel Gin from Watershed, our signature product, is a light, modern gin with a smooth body and a unique and aromatic blend of botanicals. Layered over the juniper note that one typically associates with gin, Watershed infuses a proprietary blend of seven other carefully selected botanicals.
Paste Magazine Tasting Note
The inspiration for the beautiful, handmade still in Columbus, Ohio, where Watershed Four Peel Gin is made, came from an unlikely location: Sweden. Co-founder Greg Lehman played professional volleyball in Scandinavia, and was impressed with the many small distilleries the country boasted, each with its unique spin on traditional styles. Coming back to his hometown, Lehman and Dave Rigo quickly learned that while Ohio might boast a pre-Prohibition history of distilling, it’s not the easiest state to launch a still. Proof: 88
Proof66 Tasting Note
Watershed Distillery Four Peel gin describes itself as a “light, modern gin” with the traditional juniper flavor plus “seven other carefully selected botanicals” including cassia, Jamaica pepper, and coriander.
From the website and owner Greg Lehman: “We use a fair amount of juniper and coriander, but we’ve evolved the traditional gin flavor profile with a combination of citrus peel which emphasizes an orange and grapefruit note.” Watershed Distillery does business in Columbus, Ohio since 2009 in what they describe as a “cozy” 1,985 square foot facility. They use a 60-gallon custom-made column still.
Wine Enthusiast Tasting Note
As the name suggests, this is a citrus-forward gin. It’s lightly sweet, with notes of candied lemon peel and lemon verbena, finishing with white pepper and ginger sparks plus a subtle floral note. Score a bottle to lend extra presence to citrusy drinks like gin-and-tonics or sour-style cocktails. – K.N. Score: 92, July 2014
