Yellow Springs distillery and winery Tuck-N-Red’s celebrates grand opening

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

The region’s newest winery and distillery welcomed its first guests this past weekend in Yellow Springs.

The grand opening of “Tuck-N-Red’s” started with a ribbon-cutting at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and continued through 9 p.m. There are “Shine Tastings” for $5 and “Wine Tastings” for $8.

“Come join us and be amongst the first to see our completely remodeled distillery and tasting room and pick up some of your favorite Tuck-N-Red’s Shines & Wines!” the distillery-winery posted to their event page.

The new distillery-winery is located at The Millworks at 305 N. Walnut St., home to one of the region’s largest craft breweries, Yellow Springs Brewery. Tuck-N-Red’s is the brainchild of Charles “Red” Harrell, Tucker “Tuck” Thompson and John Mick.

The founders of Tuck-N-Red’s say they’re just “two good ol’ down-home country boys and a hippie,” but there’s nothing humble or laidback about their plans for a facility and tasting room that will offer a full lineup of spirits and “mountain wines.”

Harrell said he and his partners will produce “spirits, 'shine and mountain wine” and are working with their neighboring business, Yellow Springs Brewery, to create “a one-stop libation destination” for craft spirits, beers and wines.

Harrell said it runs in his blood.

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

“I started making wine with my grandpa when I was 10 or 12, and I really enjoyed doing it,” he said. In fact, one of Tuck-N-Red’s signature wines will come from a dandelion wine recipe created by his great-grandmother. This is a labor of love for me.”

The trio is working hard to be able to source all of the rye, grains and other ingredients from within Ohio, Harrell said.

Plans call for making five or six wines from fruits and flowers, including blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, apple, dandelion and rose petal. The spirits will include traditional corn-liquor moonshine and multiple flavor variations of “shine” such as green apple, peach cobbler, raspberry, American apple pie and a barrel-aged honey shine, as well as barrel-aged bootstrap rum, a barrel-aged multi-grain whiskey, white rum and a vodka made from sweet potatoes.

According to license applications filed with the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control, Tuck-N-Red’s applied for licenses to manufacture wine; to manufacture less than 100,000 gallons of spiritous liquor to sell to personal consumers; to sell wine to retailers; and to sell wine to personal consumers via mail order, according to the division’s online records.

The Millworks was previously home to S&G Distillery/The Spirits of Yellow Springs, which is no longer operating there. Tuck-N-Red’s will take over its space and additional space adjacent to Yellow Springs Brewery.

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