Give me Liberty (Pole Spirits)
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The Hough family, who owns Liberty Pole Spirits, leads a large crowd in a toast before raising the liberty pole in lieu of a traditional groundbreaking Monday morning. Jeff Kotula, president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, back left, presented opening remarks.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
In lieu of a traditional groundbreaking, Liberty Pole Spirits re-created the historical raising of the liberty pole, an act of defiance that put Washington County on the map in 1773. From left are co-owner Kevin Hough; Joe Martinek, team member; co-owner Rob Hough; Jeff Deems, operations manager; and Todd Ashmore, special projects coordinator.
Monday morning’s rain dissipated as a large crowd gathered along Racetrack Road in North Strabane Township to celebrate the groundbreaking of a much-anticipated Mingo Creek Craft Distillers’ project, the Liberty Pole Spirits whiskey distillery campus.
“We’re going to do something today that they did in 1773,” said Ellen Hough, who owns Liberty Pole Spirits with her husband, Jim, and their two sons, Rob and Kevin. “Four-hundred people showed up with a liberty pole to protest the excise tax. It started a firestorm back in Washington and put our little Washington on the map. (This) is the home of Washington whiskey.”
Team members then hoisted a heavy wooden pole, raised the American flag and led a chorus of “Huzzahs!” in lieu of a traditional groundbreaking. The distillery campus is expected to open to the public in the first quarter of 2023.