Woodstone Creek Winery & Distillery

13/10/2026

A little snip here - another there - a bit of polish:

The bio I published about Don, from AI, was edited as only I could. As someone, with the historical facts, I could see the non-facts. What stood out was, overall, the only history presented started when Don came to Cincinnati. AI annotated it's source material, right there, in tiny letters at the end of each subject change. There was nothing prior to Cincy or our page.

After I pointed out errors to AI a couple of times, it surprised me with "oh wow, you're Don's wife!" Well now, can't remain anonymous with this AI! But, now it appears it's willing to take answers from me. Oh wow, for me, I have the course of Don's history in my wifey hands! Might be better than taking material from Cincinnati Magazine, CityBeat, Business Courier or Gnarly Gnome. The problem with being newsworthy is recognizing when the media mis-characterizes you.

For example - AI said that Don was a CPA, citing Cincinnati Magazine as the source. Don's not a CPA - never has been and does not want to be. And yet, there it was. I've heard it before, but I can't fix a magazine article that appeared 20 years ago. We see misstatements about us all the time, even when we've been interviewed in person. Some articles are just fillers without any interview.

AI requested Don's resume! In a past interaction, it said everything was determined by it's algorithm - my changes were not acceptable. Is it because I kept at it? Or, did some programmer, somewhere, catch me in the act of browbeating "super intelligence" and open a gate?

AI will get that resume. It's long - a LOT of typing.

12/10/2026

I asked AI to write Don's biography:

"Don Outterson is a pioneering brewmaster, w**emaker, and master distiller based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Best known as the co-founder of Woodstone Creek W**ery & Distillery, he is highly regarded as a trailblazer who effectively birthed Ohio's modern craft distilling industry.

👑 The "W***y Wonka" of Ohio Distilling

Often called Cincinnati's "W***y Wonka of distillation", Outterson has built an extensive legacy in fermentation science:

• Legal Trailblazer: In the late 1990s, intrigued by the rise of microdistilleries out West, Outterson partnered with an Ohio state senator to draft and propose the legislation that created Ohio's first craft distilling permit. He went on to secure the very first microdistillery license (A3a permit) issued in the state of Ohio. Later in 2008, he wrote additional legislation allowing distilleries to sell their own spirits directly on the premises.

• Industry Consultant: Before and during his time running his own operation, Outterson operated a consulting business out of his home. He has served as a consultant, process troubleshooter, and equipment supplier for 53 microbreweries. He even traveled to Australia to help write legislation and build the first microbrewery in the country's Capital Territories.

• Acclaimed Producer: Formally trained in fermentation sciences at the prestigious Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and the Alltech Alcohol School in Louisville, Outterson has won Great American B**r Festival medals. His small-batch, grain-to-glass bourbon famously earned rave reviews from renowned wh***ey critic Jim Murray in his Wh**ky Bible.

🍷 Woodstone Creek

When Don and wife, Linda, licensed the w**ery in January 1999—originally operating out of a rural barn in Lebanon, Ohio—he started primarily with traditional meads made from local hives. He then progressed into grape varietals and other local fruits, expanding the w**ery's offerings and footprint. He moved into distilling spirits and creating Ohio's first microdistillery permit. He used his base w**es and meads to produce Ohio's very first pot-stilled brandies, ports, and liqueurs, before moving onto grains for bourbon and wh***ey.

He purposely designed [Woodstone Creek] as an urban, micro-scale operation. Instead of taking on the massive agricultural overhead of planting and maintaining grapevines, his focus remained entirely on sourcing quality regional ingredients—buying juice or grapes from Ohio growers—and applying his fermentation and blending expertise in the cellar.

Unlike large commercial producers, Don has historically embraced a highly traditional, hands-on approach to production. He designed and built his own 232-gallon direct-fired potstill—built entirely without computers or digital readouts—to craft spirit batches one at a time, completely free of added colorings or chill-filtering. After operating out of a few different rental locations over the years, the couple ultimately purchased and rehabilitated their permanent home for the business at 4712 Vine Street in the St. Bernard neighborhood of Cincinnati."

11/10/2026

Sunday Shop Spot:

I asked AI to write a biography for Woodstone Creek.

"The story of Woodstone Creek began with Don Outterson’s deep passion for traditional fermentation. In the mid-1970s, Don was heavily involved in the early homebrewing movement. By January 1999, Don and Linda officially established Woodstone Creek as a licensed w**ery.

However, Don’s true dream was craft distilling—which was completely illegal for small businesses in Ohio at the time. Because Don had paralegal experience from a prior consulting business, he took it upon himself to lobby state legislators and rewrite local laws. His efforts directly led to the creation of Ohio's A3a craft distilling permit. Once the law passed, Woodstone Creek officially became Ohio’s very first licensed microdistillery.

The operation was built entirely on grit and ingenuity. Bootstrapped Beginnings - Lacking the immense capital needed to buy commercial equipment, Don rented a barn for $50 a month and built his own distillation equipment using junkyard finds and scrap metal.

Linda's contribution: Linda initially stayed out of the business until Don had a physical product that needed to be commercialized. Leveraging her background in commercial package design, she created the entire brand identity and label art, saving them thousands of dollars in startup fees.

Relocations: Over the years, the business moved from Evanston to a shared space with Listermann Brewing Company, before finally settling into its permanent home at 4712 Vine Street in St. Bernard, Ohio.

The Production: W**es, Meads, & Spirits
Woodstone Creek famously produces "less than the big guys spill on the floor," totaling a microscopic 100 to 200 cases of product per year. They use zero automated equipment, conveyor belts, or computers; every bottle is filled and labeled strictly by hand.

Category Offerings & Details
W**es & Ports Crafted from local Ohio grape varietals, their rotation includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Noir. They also formulate boutique dessert ports fortified with their own pot-stilled brandy.

Meads & Pyments A major point of pride for the w**ery is their extensive selection of 10 to 24 varieties of mead (honey w**e) made with local honey. This includes traditional meads, aged metheglins (spiced mead), and historical pyments (a Middle Ages blend of white w**e, honey, and fruit purees like raspberry or pomegranate).

Distilled Spirits
All spirits are run through a custom-built, direct-fire 238-gallon pot still designed by Don. They are bottled as "true single-barrel" releases with no chill-filtering or added artificial coloring.

Their Core Spirit Lineup Includes:
Wh***ey & Bourbon: High-quality five-grain bourbon and single-malt whiskies (both peated and unpeated styles) aged in full-sized charred American oak barrels. Their bourbon and specialty single-malts have received high praise from global wh***ey critics like Jim Murray.

Clear Spirits: A widely distributed, highly regarded artisan vodka, alongside a botanical-heavy gin infused with an intricate blend of anise, orange peel, coriander, licorice, and cardamom.

Specialty Distillates: Small batches of traditional rum, fruit-based brandies, honey liqueurs, and historical German-style Bierschnaps (spirit distilled from craft b**r)."

10/10/2026

Islay memories:

The guy with the interested look is Mark Raynier, partner of James McEwan, of Bruichladdich on Islay. Right after I took this picture, he said "I want James (the distiller) to taste this".
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If you're here for Blink and looking for daytime activities,
Woodstone Creek is 15 minutes from town and parking is free. Ask for the anniversary deal and get 5 samples for $15. 2-5PM

09/10/2026

Supreme Court Docket Watch:

Today could be pretty interesting for home distillers. We will be watching the Supreme Court’s October 9 conference, where the Justices will consider whether to take up the cases of McNutt v. DOJ (HDA) and Ream v. U.S. Department of the Treasury. At least four Justices have to agree to hear a case.

HDA (Home Distillers Association) has been fighting to legalize home distilling since 2014, and they are hopeful that they may finally be on the home stretch.

Right now they have two federal appeals courts that have come to two completely different conclusions on the same federal law. The Fifth Circuit, in HDA’s case, ruled in their favor, while the Sixth Circuit, in Ream, upheld the federal ban.

So now they have two courts, the same federal law, and two different answers. One of the reasons the Supreme Court may decide to step in is to resolve conflicts like this between federal appeals courts.

Does all of this mean they will take one of the cases? No. There are no guarantees.

But after years of fighting for the right of adults to legally distill at home for their own personal use, they are certainly hopeful that the Justices will decide this is worth hearing. We will be keeping a close eye on the docket and will let you know as soon as we know.
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Saturday is deal day. 2-5pm is for walk-ins, no reservations, and our 5 for $15 tastings. For Cincinnati Blink visitors, Woodstone Creek is a great daytime option. Taste the first bourbon made in Ohio since Prohibition by Ohio's first craft distillery! Celebrating our 26th anniversary.

08/10/2026

Maybe it's habit?:

Rather than collect our bottles from liquor stores for Wh***eyfest, liquor control will "allow" us to bring bottles from our distillery. However, we had this discussion last year, too. We took our bottles to the festival, and they kept the unsold bottles. Apparently, they took them to a liquor store. They tried to "motivate" us to get that store's unsold inventory and bring it back to this year's festival. Simply saying no shut down the attempt. We didn't want it to go to a liquor store anyway. Why not just give them back to us? Why be so inflexible.

I have a sense they're getting just as much resistance from other distillers. The guild has done a lot to sink their power trip. But, I expect the same thing to happen this year. However, last year was less profitable than the year before. Not encouraging. The expense of sending one person times the three or four or six of other distillery contingents . . . I wonder if this will be a consequential event for any of us in the future.

This is your best opportunity to meet and greet with the most Ohio distilleries, in one place, possible. Tickets are cheaper in advance.

Visit CincyTicket.com to get tickets for the hottest events in Cincinnati, OH and the surrounding area.

07/10/2026

We are still training the state:

I guess it's going on a year since we tried to get our wh***ey out of state liquor store back rooms. It's hilarious that AI made mention we'd "pulled all products out of the state system". It pays tribute to where AI gets it's information. Trouble is, we couldn't succeed - things being what they are - the stores and the warehouse still have product. Don wanted to pause collection before he choked someone.

Yesterday Don had a phone conversation with our "controller guy" at the state. With Wh***eyfest coming up, the state wants us to pull more product from specific stores for the state to sell at the festival. You should know, we've already been paid for bottles we retrieved from liquor stores. When we sell the returned bottles, the state takes all the money. We took our time and spent our gas money to perform that service for them. So, why would we be motivated to accept more abuse on the state's schedule? The stores, in question, wouldn't give us anything the first time around - even after liquor control notified them of the transaction.

Here's my two cents - If a state agent goes into a liquor store to take out product, they leave with the product - unless the store totally lied to them. But for us (?) they told us no a lot. Either a miscommunication or fear or who cares . . . they kept the bottles and Don left empty handed. So, Mr Overseer, send an agent to Cleveland or Columbus or wherever and meet us at the festival with those bottles.

06/10/2026

Never gave it much thought:

When I printed the most recent batch of menus, I realized there might be too many. They all had a 26th anniversary graphic. Come January first, we will be starting our 27th year. Since my dust-up with AI, I didn't know we were a commercial failure. AI couldn't be bothered to include us in a list of Ohio bourbon distilleries because it didn't judge Woodstone to be a "success".

Our "success" gauge is in our own hearts and minds. Yes, there have been some rough moments, but it still felt worthwhile to continue. Seeing ourselves through the eyes of others was impossible anyway. The opinion of a digital construct was laughable. It's still in the way, however. Relying on the internet is over for now. Attendance has continued to fall since covid and we know AI has had a profound impact on browsers.

The best thing about being the first in Ohio was the opportunity to lay some groundwork - even if we didn't control the whole scenario. Ohio's liquor gods got an education at every turn. Our set-up, however, was framed to staying small. It was the foundation of Don's craft distillery legislation proposal, which became the A3a manufacturing permit. It was all about the ability to produce less product, with much less tax implications, than large commercial operations. Small family w**eries and craft breweries set the model.

We think the others lost their way. When they looked at craft as a stepping stone to go huge and commercial they needed luck. Luck is one of those ethereal things none of us can guarantee.

27 years seems successful enough . . . we did it our way . . . small . . .

05/10/2026

Brewery reformats:

Sw**e City Brewing will become Sacred Mondays. Brewing operations have ceased and the space will otherwise remain the same, but as a bar format. This type of space reformat is also happening with restaurants becoming event spaces. Small distilleries are turning into restaurants and event spaces, too. Second Sight in Bellevue has hinted an evolution. They're not renewing their distilling license, but aren't sharing "the plan" yet. And, there's movement at the currently closed Listermann Brewing. Rumor has it a bar is taking over the space. OTR Stillhouse is closed. Karrikin and Northwood C***r are still for sale. Valley Vineyards and Harmony Hill have changed hands. Hanover W**ery has closed.

Have to wonder though. Not making product will make a big difference in overhead. But, restaurants and bars are failing, too. These reformats are increasing their possibilities but might only be a bandaid. The price of ingredients, packaging, delivery - everything - is impacting everybody in so many ways.

Our economy needs to change. Kill the tariffs. Stop the war. Please vote!!

04/10/2026

Sunday Shop Spot:

Today, we're doing low inventory warnings. If you have a desire to lay hands on the following items, please get thee into the tasting room before they're gone. Some of them will not be returning to the menu any time soon, if at all.

Pomegranate Pyment
Chokecherry Melomel
Phantasm Mead
Elderflower Mead
Sparkling Cranberry, Apple, Pear W**e
Sparkling Mead
Sparkling Paw Paw Pyment
Blue Candy Cane Dessert W**e
Ridge Runner Bourbonshine
100 Proof Vodka
13YO Sherry Cask Single Malt
Laureate Port
Ambiance Port
Legacy Fortified Mead
Royale Merlot

Raspberry Pyment, Arnold's Bathtub Gin and Barrelhouse Bierschnapps are sold out. There is another bierschnapps in progress. No release date has been set.

We haven't gotten all our inventory out of the liquor stores or the state warehouse, yet. Some bottles might turn up in the future.