BORN AGAIN: Troy’s Hayner Distillery to spring back to life 100 years after it closed

Hayner Distilling, founded in 1866, flourished for decades before Prohibition, and now it's coming back
Hayner Distilling, the historic Troy-based distillery that operated from 1866 to 1920, is making a comeback a full century after it shut down.

Credit: FILE

Credit: FILE

Hayner Distilling, the historic Troy-based distillery that operated from 1866 to 1920, is making a comeback a full century after it shut down.
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By Mark Fisher
July 24, 2020
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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 Troy-Hayner Cultural Center, which includes the Hayner Distillery Museum. Prohibition delivered the death blow to the distillery in 1920.

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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.”

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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 Troy-Hayner 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.

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About the Author

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.