Warm Up This Winter at Lancaster County's Craft Distilleries

When the cold settles in and you’re looking for a place to shake off the chill, Lancaster County’s distilleries offer the perfect escape. Small-batch spirits, cozy tasting rooms, and a strong farm-to-bottle tradition make these spots inviting retreats all season long.

Thanks to Lancaster’s abundant agriculture, local distillers draw from nearby fields filled with corn, barley, grains, and fruit. That access to fresh ingredients has helped fuel a growing craft-spirits scene, and the perfect time to explore it is during your wintertime stay at The Lancaster Bed and Breakfast.

Thistle Finch Distillery | Lancaster, PA

For a true taste of Lancaster’s past, head to Thistle Finch Distillery — Lancaster’s oldest distillery — in the former Walter Schnader Tobacco Warehouse. This early 20th-century building sets a rustic yet elevated backdrop for rye whiskey cocktails, small-batch gin, and vodka. Free samples make it easy to discover your favorite, and weekend distillery tours offer a behind-the-scenes look at their process. Their Burly Bar Restaurant is a great bonus, with salads, sandwiches, flatbreads, and snacks that pair nicely with an afternoon of sipping.

Stoll & Wolfe Distillery | Lititz, PA

Lititz is home to Stoll & Wolfe, a small-town distillery with a big national reputation. Founded in 2016, it focuses on reviving Pennsylvania’s historic whiskey-making traditions using local grains and time-honored techniques. Their award-winning rye and bourbon have put them on the map, and the tasting room blends an urban vibe — dark walls, brick, and warm lighting — with friendly, knowledgeable staff. Book a production tour or guided whiskey tasting, and enjoy a few small bites while you’re there.

Lancaster Distilleries | Lancaster & Columbia, PA

Lancaster Distilleries burst onto the craft-spirits scene in 2018 with a lineup that includes rum, gin, vodka, and bourbon. Their spirits can be enjoyed in downtown Lancaster at Zoetropolis, a former theater that now blends cinema, live music, great food, and craft cocktails under one roof. You can also stop by The Boring Bar in Columbia — named after LD’s founder, Nate Boring — where the atmosphere is anything but boring, with cornhole, pool, darts, and shuffleboard alongside creative cocktails. And if you want to bring something home, you’ll find bottles at the historic Lancaster Central Market, America’s oldest farmer’s market.

Spirits Distilling Company | Manheim, PA

Mount Hope Estate in Manheim is known for its long wine-making legacy, but it’s also home to Spirits Distilling Company. This operation produces hand-crafted spirits for the estate’s year-round festivals and special events, including the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. Visitors of the estate can enjoy cocktails or guided tastings, and the distillery’s more than two dozen offerings include both signatures and limited-release batches. Bottles are sold onsite or online, so you can take a little Mount Hope flavor home after your visit.

Lancaster Craft Spirits Distillery | Lancaster, PA

Owned by brothers Pete and Nick Keares, Lancaster Craft Spirits Distillery builds on more than 30 years of brewing and culinary expertise. Their distillery opened in 2024 inside the historic Edward McGovern Tobacco Building in downtown Lancaster. Offerings include American single malt whiskey, bourbon, gin, rum, vodka, and even an espresso liqueur. The distillery shares space with their long-established brewery and a full restaurant, making it a great place to spend an evening. (And don’t confuse it with Lancaster Distilleries — the names may be similar, but the experience is completely its own.)

Old Republic Distillery Tavern | Ephrata, PA

Old Republic Distillery began in York, but its Ephrata tasting room has become a favorite in Lancaster County. The space, set inside a beautifully renovated 1777 barn, shows off original stone walls and wooden beams, creating a cozy speakeasy feel. Visitors can enjoy spirits ranging from vodka to rum to moonshine, along with Pennsylvania beer, wine, cocktails, food, and live entertainment. Indoor and outdoor seating make it an easy stop year-round.

Chicken Hill Distillery Tasting Room | Lancaster, PA

For something playful, stop by the Chicken Hill Distillery tasting room at the Tanger Outlets in Lancaster. This distillery is based in Elk County in north-central PA, but with tasting rooms scattered around the state, more and more people are trying — and loving — these backwoods spirits. Known for legal moonshine, Chicken Hill crafts fun flavors like peach, blackberry, cinnamon roll, and salted caramel. Tasting room visitors can enjoy five free samples or a freshly made cocktail, which makes holiday shopping at the outlets a little more enjoyable.

During your next getaway at our historic Dutch Colonial inn, you’ll be close to all of these inviting spots. Winter may be cold in Pennsylvania, but Lancaster County’s distilleries know exactly how to warm you up — one sip at a time.