Portside, which earned the distinction as Ohio’s first modern distillery, has closed. The small-batch producer of beer and spirits had been in production since 2011, but only recently (2015) opened up its East Bank of the Flats-based production facility and tasting room to the public.

Earlier this year, the distillery changed its tasting room hours to weekends only, deciding instead to focus on increasing production. Those efforts, apparently, were not enough to stave off the closure.

“It’s a big bummer to all of us,” notes Erica Riley, Director of Marketing & Events, adding that the company will release an official statement this Friday.

Attempts to reach owner Matt Zappernick have been unsuccessful.

This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2017.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

2 replies on “East Bank of the Flats’ Portside Distillery and Brewery is Closed”

  2. Maybe they can reopen somewhere else, but downsized to just a few spirits and maybe a tasting room? Adding beer is never a good move for distillers.

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