Still & Oak, a Great Lakes Distillery (GLD) tasting room, hosted a soft opening this weekend and will officially open on Tuesday, Dec. 3. The space, located at 5835 W. National Ave. in West Allis, was briefly a Valentine Coffee and before that Public Table restaurant.
The cocktail menu is similar to the one at GLD's Walker's Point location.
"It will expand after we settle in," says GLD owner Guy Rehorst. "The bartenders will be encouraged to try new stuff."
Still & Oak also serves tap and canned craft beer, wine and cider – most of which are crafted in Wisconsin.
The space feels cozy. It features a large bar along with tables – some of which are topped with cribbage boards – and couches for seating. Photos from the Walker's Point distillery adorn the walls, including a prominent one of "Officer Friendly," a statue that belonged to Rehorst's father.
Prior to this year, it was illegal in Wisconsin for a distillery to open satellite tasting rooms. Rehorst, who has worked diligently to change archaic laws around spirits, says he was very supportive of this law, but not at the helm of it. That credit, according to Rehorst, goes to Evan Hughes, co-owner of Central Standard Distillery.
The law now permits Great Lakes Distillery to operate up to three additional tasting rooms. Rehorst says he may open more in the future, but for now is focused on perfecting the West Allis location.
The iconic Kegel's Inn is located next door, and the Kegel family owns the building that houses Still & Oak. Rehorst says this summer the two businesses will share the beer garden and that customers are welcome to bring food from Kegel's into the tasting room.
"The city of West Allis and Kegel's have been extremely supportive," says Rehorst.
Still & Oak is open Tuesday through Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to midnight.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
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