18th Street Distillery sits in Hammond, Indiana, about 30 minutes southeast of Chicago, occupying a converted warehouse space that feels more like an industrial taproom than your typical whiskey tour destination. Founded by Drew Fox in 2013, this operation started as an extension of 18th Street Brewery, which Fox launched in 2013 after leaving his corporate career to dive into craft beverages. The distillery produces bourbon, rye whiskey, gin, and vodka, operating with a philosophy that mirrors their brewing approach: experimental, unafraid of unconventional techniques, and focused on creating spirits that pair well with their beer-centric food menu. Fox didn’t come from a distilling background—he was drawn to the craft after years of homebrewing and watching the craft beer scene explode in the Midwest. The distillery shares space and philosophy with the brewery, creating this hybrid experience where you’re as likely to find someone nursing a bourbon flight as you are someone working through their latest IPA release. The team operates with a small-batch mentality, using custom stills and experimenting with different grain bills and aging techniques that sometimes raise eyebrows among purists but create distinctive flavors. The experience here isn’t about pristine barrel rooms or white-glove tours. You’ll find yourself in an active production space where the smell of fermenting grains mixes with hops, and the bartenders can tell you about both the whiskey they’re pouring and the beer that’s conditioning in tanks behind you. It’s industrial, unpretentious, and focused on the liquid in your glass rather than the theater around it.