Brother Justus Whiskey Company distillery, cocktail room to open in Northeast Minneapolis

A new distillery and cocktail room is opening in Northeast Minneapolis later this month.

According to an announcement Tuesday, Minneapolis-based Brother Justus Whiskey Company (BJWC) plans to open its 14,000-square-foot distillery and cocktail room at limited capacity on Nov. 25.

The distillery, located at 3300 Northeast Fifth Street, was designed by local architecture firm Wittkamper Studi and built by Building Assets, LLC.

According to BJWC’s founder and CEO, Phil Steger, the distillery spent the past five years experimenting with Minnesota-sourced malted barley, oak barrels and peat, and is now ready to feature its products in the new space.

"Minnesota is uniquely blessed with everything needed to make world-class single malt whiskey," Steger said in a statement. "It took five years for us to master the techniques necessary to have those ingredients say something new in American whiskey. It took almost as long to find the right home to make it and share it with others."

For the cocktail room, BWJC partnered with WeCo, a local accessibility consulting firm owned and operated by persons with disabilities, to create a cocktail room design that incorporates accessibility for all. Additionally, BWJC hired minority-owned businesses, including subcontractors in structural engineering, roofing and tiling. For the cocktail room menu—which includes cheese, chocolate and charcuterie—BJWC is partnering with Chef Jametta Raspberry, a nationally-recognized, locally-based chef and owner of House of Gristle.

Starting Nov. 25, seating at the cocktail room will be reservation-only and kept at less than 30% capacity.

Learn more about the location and make reservations online here.