Inside look at Dad's Hat new tasting room in Bristol: 'It’s a place to relax and enjoy a cocktail'

Herman Mihalich comes from a family who has long-appreciated whiskey.

During the prohibition era, Mihalich’s grandfather left his job in the steel mills to start a speakeasy in Pittsburgh. By the 1930s, it became a legally operated tavern run by his grandfather and then his dad, where they served rye whiskey into the 1970s when it eventually closed.

“My father and grandfather were both Pennsylvania rye guys,” said Mihalich. “It was sort of something that was in my background.”

Mihalich has since held onto a piece of the original bar that stood in his family’s original tavern.

Decades later, a family tradition continues, as customers will once again sit at that same bar, now set up inside Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye’s Tasting Room in Bristol Borough which opened Thursday.

Founded by Mihalich and John Cooper, Dad’s Hat has been operating its distillery on Canal Street in Bristol since 2011, where tours and tastings are offered.

Expanding their business with a second location on Mill Street, about a mile away from the distillery, came from a desire to reach more customers and showcase their whiskeys, served straight or in handcrafted cocktails.

“Having the place down in Mill Street with all the activities going on down there, its’ a good way to introduce ourselves and our brand to new folks,” said Mihalich. “Being some place where we’re more visible and can introduce more people to our brand is a nice opportunity.”

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The tasting room was designed with a speakeasy feel in mind, where people can stop in, order a drink and learn more about whiskey, explained Mihalich.

“We want it to be very comfortable,” he said. “It’s not a sports bar, it’s a place to relax and enjoy a cocktail.”

Leading the team at the Mill Street tasting room will be Len Boris, a recent addition to the Dad’s Hat team who brings with him 14 years of hospitality experience, the last 8 years as beverage director for Fearless Restaurants.

““He knows cocktails well and he’s been real creative with our whiskeys,” said Mihalich, who said new cocktails will be offered seasonally, alongside classics, like a Manhattan, Old Fashioned or Boulevardier.

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“This is an exciting time to be joining the team at Dad’s Hat. Our tasting room will be a welcoming place for whiskey lovers and newcomers to experience fun, enticing cocktails,” said Boris.

Tours will continue at the distillery at 925 Canal St., Building 4, Door 16, Bristol. The cost is $10 a person and visitors can register online at dadshatrye.com.

The new tasting room is at 131 Mill St. in Bristol.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Rye opens whiskey tasting room in Bristol