Troy’s Hayner Distilling Co. springs back to life 100 years after it closed
Company, founded in 1866, flourished before Prohibition closed it.
A historic Troy-based distillery that also had operations in Springfield and Dayton is making a historical comeback a full century after it shut down.
The original Hayner Distilling Co. was founded in Troy in 1866 by Lewis Hayner and with the help of several family members expanded to Springfield
and Dayton. In the decades that followed, the distillery evolved into a “nationally recognized and enormously profitable mail-order whiskey business,” according to the web site of the TroyHayner Cultural Center, which includes the Hayner Distillery Museum. Prohibition
delivered the death blow to the distillery in 1920.
But on Wednesday, Hayner Distilling & Importing Inc. applied to the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control for a distillery license to produce up to 100,000 gallons of spirituous liquor to sell to consumers, according to the state agency’s web site. The proposed location of the distillery is 619 Lincoln Ave., Suite 1A.
The distillery’s web site, haynerdistilling.com, recounts the rich history of the distillery and proclaims, “Now, 100 years later, the Hayner Distilling Co. has been resurrected. From a few surviving bottles, Hayner Whiskey and Bourbon are born again. Born 1866. Born again 2020.”
Greg Taylor, co-founder of Hayner Distilling (the 2020 incarnation) said Friday he and his partners will release details about the distillery in the coming weeks.
The Hayner name is significant in Troy: The TroyHayner Cultural Center at 301 W. Main St. is located in the former home of Mary Jane Hayner. The 1914 Romanesque mansion houses a community arts center and multiple exhibits.