Editor’s Note: The June issue of Airport Experience News includes a feature story on increasing prevalence of distillery-branded concepts in airports. Below is an abridged version of the feature article. For full access to the article, please log in, subscribe, or check your printed edition of the June issue.
In fall of 2023, SSP America debuted a new bar from local business Boston Harbor Distillery in Terminal E at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), offering classic pub fare alongside an extensive cocktail menu. The bar is one of the latest distillery-branded concepts to open in an airport, a trend that has been catching on in recent years.
Westward Whiskey was among the first to open an airport distillery tasting room, which debuted as a kiosk in Portland International Airport (PDX) in 2013 under the distillery’s former name, House Spirits Distillery. The kiosk was so well received that it led to a successful proposal for an inline tasting room, which opened in late 2016.
Since Westward hit the ground running at PDX, other North American distilleries have taken note and opened their own airport airport locations. Josh Barone, vice president of commercial at SSP America, points out that spirits sales have been booming in recent years, making partnerships between concessionaires and local distilleries a no-brainer. “Over the last five years, our increase in total adult beverage sales as a percent of total sales mix has increased, with the majority of the increase driven by spirits,” he says.
Bob Stanton, SSP America’s senior vice president of business development, adds that American whiskey, in particular, is seeing a surge in popularity. “Combined with an interest in mixology and craft cocktails as well as global demand, whiskey’s popularity is at an all-time high,” he notes. “What’s happening in airports is a reflection of the larger market interest.”
Local craft distilleries seem poised to take off in a big way in the airport, following the trajectory of craft breweries, points out Tyler Pitman, senior vice president of concept development, brand partnerships and adult beverage for North America for Avolta. “Much like outposts of local breweries have proven to be tremendously popular in airports, I could see more airports having extensions of their local distilleries as well,” he says.
A Growing Trend
HMSHost, part of Avolta, operates numerous distillery-branded bars and restaurants across the country, including Mockingbird Distillery & Smokehouse at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH); Wigle Whiskey Tasting Room, Bar and Restaurant at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT); the Great Wagon Road Distilling Company bar at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT); and the Green Room Lounge & Whiskey Bar at Nashville International Airport (BNA).
“When you’re at the Charlotte airport, it really feels like you’re in Charlotte with all the outposts of local restaurants and breweries – you get a real taste and flavor of the city, and I saw an opportunity to be a part of that,” says Oliver “Ollie” Mulligan, founder of Great Wagon Road Distilling Company, The distillery’s bar debuted in Concourse A at CLT in early 2020.
Nelson’s Green Brier is the distillery behind the Green Room Lounge & Whiskey Bar at BNA, which opened in fall 2022. “Having an outpost in the airport gives us an opportunity to be one of the first and last impressions of Nashville for guests traveling through BNA. For guests flying in, it can create interest in the brand for them to ideally visit the distillery while they are in town, and for those flying out it allows our brand story to be one of the last things they engage with before traveling home,” says Erica Dahlgre, manager of hospitality for Constellation Brands, Inc., which purchased a majority stake in the whiskey brand in 2019.
At Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), construction is currently underway on the Old Fourth Distillery + Kitchen from Areas USA, slated to open in 2025. “We have a unique privilege as storytellers for Atlanta, and we needed to find a way to personify the grit, perseverance and ‘never give up’ attitude that makes Atlanta so special – enter Old Fourth Distillery, Atlanta’s first distillery since Prohibition,” says Sal Mendola, director of brands and concept development for Areas USA.
Clinton Dugan, partner of Shortbarrel Bourbon and Old Fourth Distillery, notes that he and his team are particularly excited about introducing exclusive products tailored specifically for airport clientele. “These airport-only offerings will set us apart and allow travelers to experience something truly unique,” he says.
While most distillery-branded airport concepts are bars and restaurants, Sidney, British Columbia-based Victoria Distillers, makers of the Empress 1908 line of gins, aimed to offer something more experiential when it debuted an outpost at Victoria International Airport (YYJ) in September 2021. The brand can’t actually distill on location, since working with combustibles post-security goes against local fire regulations, but it’s about as close as there is to an in-airport distillery in North America.
“We create the base distillation at our parent facility down the road and we transport our materials to the airport and then blend the final spirit onsite,” says Tomás Dosil, Vancouver Island sales manager for the distillery. “We offer travelers a unique experience because we can ‘bottle to order’ their gin for them, and customers can engage with our team as we take them through the process of blending, bottling and labeling. It makes the takeaway much more unique than a bottle bought off the shelf at a local liquor store. It’s about engagement and education.”
