Bellefonte’s Big Spring Spirits continues expansion, breaks ground on Pittsburgh distillery

Celebrating eight years in business this July, Big Spring Spirits has long been a staple on the downtown Bellefonte dining and entertainment scene. Locals know (and often recommend to visitors) the large, historic Match Factory-set distillery and tasting room right next door to Talleyrand Park. However, over the last few years, the brand has extended beyond Bellefonte, with big plans for the future.

About a year ago, proprietor Kevin Lloyd opened a first remote location, north of Pittsburgh, in Seven Fields. Similar to the Bellefonte location, yet offering something brand-new at the same time, the Seven Fields Big Spring Spirits outpost offers two concepts.

“One is a tasting room like we have here in Bellefonte and the other one is a sports bar,” Lloyd said. “We sell our spirits at both places, but they’re different experiences. There are lots of TVs and it’s sports-themed; we call it The G.O.A.T., greatest of all time. They’re right next to each other. There’s a patio in-between, but just different concepts, a different focus.”

Most recently, earlier this month, Lloyd and a team gathered to break ground on a new distillery in downtown Pittsburgh. However, the project is far more than a mere distillery. It’s set to become a Steel City destination with appeal enough to convince even Centre Countians to make the journey to what will be called The Distillery at South Shore.

The six-story complex, situated within the historic, 19th-century Joseph S. Finch & Co. whiskey distillery, will boast about 11 times the amount of space Big Spring Spirits offers in Bellefonte. Beyond the distillery and tasting room, it will offer a fresh market with artisan food producers, such as chocolatiers and bakers; a food hall with multiple vendors; an event space; a cigar club; and a rooftop bar overlooking the city.

The project has been multiple years in the works. To bring it to life, Lloyd and Big Spring Spirits partnered with individuals from Cedarcove Capital Ventures, Parkway Service and G&B Consulting Partners, and the team launched a crowdfunding investment campaign through Honeycomb Credit. The first round of crowdfunding earned more than $100,000, while a future campaign aims to raise approximately $500,000 for distillery equipment.

“You put money in — a minimum investment of a hundred dollars — and you get 7.75% interest back,” Lloyd said. “And then, throughout the year, we’ll have different perks for different levels of contribution. Those perks might include merchandise, or it could be a private event or something. ... Depending on the investment level, there’ll be certain additional advantages besides just the interest.”

So why build The Distillery at South Shore in Pittsburgh and not somewhere else in the state?

Lloyd said, “We’ve had really good success in the Pittsburgh market … We’ve been in Pittsburgh almost from the beginning and it’s always been a good market for us. Pittsburgh is food and beverage-centric. It has a very robust restaurant culture and they embrace locally-produced products. We’ve just had always very good success there. We’re in probably between 50 and 100 restaurants and bars just in the Pittsburgh area.”

He hopes The Distillery at South Shore will be open by summer 2023.

Longtime Big Spring Spirits fans will be glad to know that the Bellefonte location will remain unchanged even with the new location, both acting as a production space for the brand, as well as a tasting room. Centre Countians can continue to expect regular events at the Bellefonte space as well, including the new Wines by the Class wine education experiences and the likewise new monthly cocktail labs, held every last Monday of the month. During the latter, guests make three different cocktails in a guided experience.

In the future, Lloyd mentions the possibility of adding a Philadelphia outpost and also hints at additional, yet-to-finalized projects to come. To stay up to date on all things Big Spring Spirits, follow the brand on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/BigSpringSpirits, or Instagram, at www.instagram.com/bigspringspirits.