Drink locally: 4 new Atlanta-distilled spirits to add to your home bar

ASW Distillery's Fiddler Bourbon using charred staves of Georgia white oak. Photo courtesy of ASW Distillery

Credit: Beth McKibben

Credit: Beth McKibben

ASW Distillery's Fiddler Bourbon using charred staves of Georgia white oak. Photo courtesy of ASW Distillery

Fiddler Bourbon (second release), ASW Distillery, 86 proof, $35

Since opening its distillery doors last summer, ASW has released an apple brandy, an American single malt rye and a wheated bourbon called Fiddler that's been flying off the shelves since hitting the market in November. Fiddler is a triumph--a true distiller's bourbon. "Foraged" from whiskeys "with promise", ASW "fiddles with" the spirit using a number of blending and aging techniques. ASW's Chad Ralston said of this latest Fiddler iteration, " We hand-harvested three white oaks in Jackson County, Georgia in 2015, split up the heartwood and seasoned it outdoors for over a year, then fashioned the heartwood into staves that we charred and placed into Fiddler Bourbon barrels for the last couple of months of maturation." All of this fiddling created a highly-nuanced spirit with notes of maple syrup and vanilla. We hear there's a third release in the works. Stay tuned.

199 Armour Dr. NE Ste C, Atlanta. 404-590-2279, aswdistillery.com.

Watch the story behind Fiddler Heartwood Bourbon:

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 Lawn Dart is a vodka-based liqueur vapor-infused with lemon peels and cold-pressed ginger juice. Photo courtesy of Old Fourth Distillery

Credit: Beth McKibben

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Credit: Beth McKibben

Lawn Dart ginger lemon liqueur, Old Fourth Distillery, 75 proof, $28

487 Edgewood Ave. SE, Atlanta. 844-653-3687, o4d.com.

 Outlier No. 3 is a collaboration between Independent Distilling and Three Taverns to distill Georgia’s first bierschnaps using the brewery's Feest Noel ale. Photo courtesy of Independent Distilling Co.

Credit: Beth McKibben

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Credit: Beth McKibben

Outlier No. 3 Bierschnaps, Independent Distilling Company (IDC), 90 proof, $54

731 East College Ave., Decatur. 770-842-8100, independentdistilling.com.

Scotch-style whiskey release party from Monday Night Brewing and ASW Distillery, $65

Be one of the first people to taste (and bring home a bottle of) Monday Night Brewing's scotch-style whiskey in collaboration with ASW Distillery on Feb. 27. Tickets are $65 and include a tour, tastes and souvenir bottle of this soon-to-be-released whiskey. For tickets: freshtix.com/events/monday-night-asw-whiskey-launch . Release party to be held at ASW. Can't attend the party? The whiskey is due to arrive at a store near you in early March.

Monday Night Brewing, 670 Trabert Ave, NW, Atlanta. 404-352-7703, mondaynightbrewing.com.

ASW Distillery, 199 Armour Dr. NE Ste C, Atlanta. 404-590-2279, aswdistillery.com.

In addition, head down I-16 to Savannah and take a tour of that city's first legal distillery since Prohibition. Ghost Coast, which officially opened in mid-February, is located about a half mile north of the historic river district in the renovated 1950s nightclub Frozen Paradise. Tours will highlight Savannah's liquor-soaked past, the distillery floor and include tastes of its first release, Vodka 261. The vodka is a nod to the 261 years since the end of Georgia's first official prohibition and the founding of Ghost Coast. Tour and tasting: $12.50. Tour, tasting, souvenir Vodka 261 bottle: $32. 641 Indian St., Savannah. 912-298-0071,  ghostcoastdistillery.com

4 cocktails (plus Champagne) for the calorie-counting Atlantan

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