Belle of Dayton distillery’s first barrel-aged spirit is a nod to history

Those who would like to sample the four-grain, pot-distilled, 104-proof rye whiskey prior to buying a bottle can do so at the Van Buren Room, the cocktail bar that is adjacent to the distillery. The Van Buren Room is offering one-ounce or two-ounce pours in the days preceding the bottle sale, including Friday, according to Michael LaSelle, Belle of Dayton’s co-founder.

Supplies are limited, and there will be a two-bottle-per-person limit. The Detrick Straight Rye Whiskey is a blend of four 53-gallon barrels, with an average of four years of age spent in barrel. The blend includes one barrel of rye that has been aging for six years, one barrel of four-year, and two barrels of rye that have aged for three years, LaSelle said.

Before Prohibition, Detrick Distilling Co. operated a distillery in Tippecanoe, now Tipp City, and sold its copper-distilled rye whiskey in Dayton, LaSelle said. The company had a shipping and receiving office in downtown Dayton.

LaSelle and his distillery co-founders, his brothers Murphy and Tim, chose the name for their distillery after an empty bottle of liquor emblazoned with the “Belle of Dayton” name was discovered intact under a pile of broken glass and debris during a renovation of the basement of Don’s Pawn Shop at 107 E. Third St.

Although the contents of the bottle and details of the Belle of Dayton pre-Prohibition brand are lost to history, Michael LaSelle said he believes it’s entirely possible that the bottle once contained a Detrick Distilling Co. product.

“We are proud to bring back the Detrick name,” LaSelle said in an interview.

Belle of Dayton has several other spirits aging in barrels and destined for release in the years ahead, including a rum, a bourbon and a gin that has been resting in a bourbon barrel in collaboration with downtown Dayton’s The Century bourbon bar, LaSelle said.

The distillery opened in 2014 and has offered gin and vodka spirits.

For more information, check out the Belle of Dayton Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BelleOfDayton.