Dayton distillery unveils 3 new spirits, expands footprint

Belle of Dayton ‘coming of age’ with new products, packaging, markets, co-founder says

Dayton craft distillery Belle of Dayton is gearing up to release three new spirits, expand into several other Ohio cities, and unveil a new label design, all in the coming months.

“This is our statement year,” Belle of Dayton co-founder Murphy LaSelle said. “We’re coming of age.”

The new products will include a Rye & Hops Gin, which will be rolled out this summer; a Single Barrel Bourbon-Cask Rum, which will be released this fall; and a 4-Grain Single Barrel Rye Whiskey, which is scheduled for release around the holidays or early next year, LaSelle said.

Belle of Dayton opened in 2014 at 122 Van Buren St. at Wayne Avenue, in Dayton’s Oregon Historic District, the distillery currently sells two vodkas: a Small Batch vodka and Hells Vodka, infused with seven varieties of chili peppers.

Working with distributor Southern Glazer’s of America, Belle of Dayton will launch distribution in the Cincinnati and Columbus regions in the next couple of months, and the northern Ohio market, including Cleveland, Toledo and Akron, in the fall, LaSelle said.

“We’ve been working on this for eight months,” LaSelle said. “We’re really looking forward to showing other cities in Ohio what Dayton has to offer.”

The new label design was hand-drawn and allows for greater description and detail, said LaSelle, who co-founded the distillery with his brothers Mike and Tim.

The new Belle of Dayton gin has elements of a traditional gin flavor profile, but the hops and rye add complexity and make it distinct from other gins, LaSelle said. The rum, after aging in a bourbon barrel that LaSelle obtained in Kentucky, has the color of Scotch, while the new rye-whiskey, which is still in barrel, contains rye, white corn, wheat and malted barley, he said.

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