CHERRY TWP — In the 18th century, Western Pennsylvania was one of the biggest whiskey-producing regions in the country, but times changed.

“In the history of whiskey production and bourbon production, there is linkage to Western Pennsylvania. After the Whiskey Rebellion people left Western PA and migrated down to Kentucky and Tennessee,” Mark Alexander said.

Alexander and the other three co-owners of DR Distillery, which recently opened on Kiester Road, believe their business is in a new wave of craft alcohol production.

There are 290 businesses in Butler County licensed by the state Liquor Control Board to sell alcohol. DR Distillery is the only one licensed to distill, serve and sell liquor, according to the control board's website.

There are only 28 businesses in the state with the same license, some of which may not be operational.

Wineries and craft breweries have seen success and growth in recent years, and Alexander said craft distilleries are the next business to bloom.

People now seem to be more interested in handmade small-batch spirits, he said, especially after the recent popularity of several television programs showing moonshine producers.

However, the legally-made whiskeys available that fit that description are limited.

“I've tasted some of what is available, and I said 'if this is what people think a good, unaged liquor tastes like, I need to introduce them to something better,'” he said.

Alexander, and his wife, Rebel, of Venango Township and Dawn and Wayne Carson of Cherry Township went into business together about one year ago.

Three of the four co-owners are military veterans. Wayne Carson was in the Navy and served in Vietnam, Rebel Alexander was in the Air Force and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Mark Alexander was in the Marines and served in Operation Desert Storm.

Mark Alexander still runs a business that services oil rigs around the country, and Wayne Carson has a masonry business.

Dawn Carson and Rebel Alexander used to work together for the Office of Personnel Management at Iron Mountain before leaving there to work at the distillery full time.

The name of the business comes from combining their first initials.

Mark Alexander said he was aware of moonshiners from a young age growing up in Texas. While traveling overseas with the military, he also learned about different methods of making alcohol and had the dream of one day opening his own business.

They got the liquor license, built their building from scratch on property owned by the Carsons and started making their first batches of corn whiskey before opening their storefront less than two weeks ago.

They have one kind of bottled liquor for sale. It is an unaged corn whiskey called “White Gold.”

They also plan to produce flavored whiskey, aged rye whiskey, rum and vodka in the future.

Their license allows them to sell bottles of whiskey and to serve drinks using the alcohol they make. They also can sell the products to bars and restaurants and to customers in the state via the Internet.

White Gold ferments in open-top cypress fermenters made in Alabama. From start to finish, the process takes about five days, Rebel Alexander said.

One emphasis of their business and production process is using local ingredients. They use local spring water and get corn and grains from two farms just a short drive away.

Unaged whiskey has more of an “alcoholic bite” than aged whiskey, which gets flavor, and color, from the oak barrels it is in.

Some people prefer the unaged taste while others like to have it in mixed drinks, which they can also try at the distillery, Mark Alexander said.

“There is something here that everybody will like,” Rebel Alexander said.

Mark Alexander said they have talked to owners of some wineries, breweries and cideries in the region who expressed interest in partnering in a tour program in which people would drive around sampling locally-made alcohol.

For information about the distillery, visit www.drdistillery.com.