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Asbury Park Distilling has garnered accolades from two of the top industry competitions.

Open for just over one year, the Lake Avenue distillery and Tasting Room was recognized for its vodka, gin and aged gin spirits by the American Distilling Institute and San Francisco World Spirits 2018 competitions. The former is an industry specific accolade, while the latter is judged from the consumer’s perspective, Asbury Park Distilling Co Founder Zack Ohebshalom said.

“This was our first time entering these competitions and for us to rank among well over 1,000 entrants is pretty amazing,” he said.

All three spirits are corn based, meaning they serve as a gluten free option, and are crafted with careful attention paid to sustainability and the use of products from a regional farm community.

“They are a true family of spirits in that we start with our vodka and use it to create our botanical infused gin,” Ohebshalom said. “The gin is then placed in an oak barrel to create the aged option.

New to the landscape is their bourbon option, comprised of 60 percent corn, 36 percent rye and 4 percent barley. The spirit spends two years in a new American oak barrel before being transferred to the aged gin soaked barrel, which adds the botanical nuance, Ohebshalom said.

Asbury Park Distilling opened its doors Memorial Day weekend 2017. And while distilleries continue to pop up across the state as a result of the 2013 widening of laws, the Lake Avenue venue remains the only craft distillery located in a commercial downtown area. 

Their four spirits are the brainchild of Bill Tambussi, 34, who received his Master’s of Science in Brewing and Distilling in Scotland. The Haddon Heights native, who moved to Asbury Park to head production, is joined by Assistant Distiller Kelly Lynch, who is just 24 years old.   

Tours are given during hours of operation and patrons can purchase up to 5 liters of alcohol to take off site.

Aside from being available at venues across the city, Asbury Park Distilling now services over 200 accounts; predominately throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties but quickly expanding across the state as a result of an April agreement with Fedway Distributors of Basking Ridge. Ohebshalom said the distribution will soon grow into Pennsylvania and New York.

“The challenge is to keep up with the demand,” he said. “It is very important to grow in a way that allows us to maintain a consistent and high quality product.”

And as the company continues to grow, Ohebshalom said the team behind the brand remains vested in supporting the local community.

“We want to be an involved part of the DNA of this city and are all about investing in Asbury Park,” he said. They have done so by not only hiring locally but developing local partnerships. 

Creativity is also fundamentally a part of the business model.

“We view ourselves as an extension of the arts here in Asbury Park,” he said. “What Bill does is creative.”

Aside from the back of house creativity, Asbury Park Distilling’s bartending trio – known simply as Dan, Casey and Bernard, offer and ever-changing seasonally inspired cocktail menu. Their recently launched new menu features everything from the traditional to a few signature and ever-creative concoctions.

There’s everything from their signature Perfect Gin & Tonic to the Bee’s Knees – gin lemon and honey, and The Asbury Park – bourbon amaro and citrus, on the new menu. The Bohemian Grove features the barrel finished gin, strawberry, espresso and lemon, while the White Linen Suit features vodka, kiwi, coconut and lime.

Asbury Park Distilling is located at 527 Lake Ave, and is open 5 to 10 pm Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, 3 p.m. to midnight Saturday and 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit their website, Facebook and Instagram pages.

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