Message from Maggie:  We met friends at Joseph Magus Distillery in Ivy City this weekend.  Where is ivy city you may ask?  Good question.  About two miles from Capitol Hill, this joint is located at 2052 West Virginia Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002.  After parking, we went upstairs to the tasting room and I was blown away this place existed.

In lieu of a formal tour, the sweet bartender gave us the skinny on the place during our tasting.  We learned that Jimmy Turner found a bottle in his parents’ St. Louis home after his mother passed away. The bottle was a pre-prohibition 100 year-old bourbon that had been passed down through family members over generations.

This led Turner on a path of discovery to learn about his great grandfather Joseph Magnus, who had lived and worked in Cincinnati producing bourbon, rye whiskey, gin, and rum.  After years of research, and consulting with experts like those from Woodford Reserve and Buffalo Trace, who confirmed Turner had something very special on his hands, he opened up the Joseph Magnus Distillery and is now making those same vintage liquors.

In addition to the tasting room where you can try the bourbon, whisky, gin, and vodka, they also have pre-made cocktails like the strawberry vodka drink I enjoyed.  The warehouse style room has big windows and is lined with huge tables and a friendly staff that is happy to tell you about the product, location, and history.

Down the hall you can visit the Murray Hill Club, which has cocktails concocted from interesting ingredients that are paired with Magnus booze.  This part of the warehouse has a fun, exclusive vibe and a view of where the distilling happens.

Additionally, there is outdoor seating and when we visited there was a food truck visiting.  Definitely check it out and try the Royal vodka!