Courtesy of Watershed Distillery
While the December season is widely associated with chestnuts, the staff at Watershed Distillery have visions of walnuts dancing in their heads. That’s because the season is prime time for nocino, a walnut liqueur associated with northern Italy.
As part of its annual celebration, Watershed will host NocinoFest on Dec. 4. The free event at the distillery celebrates the release of Watershed’s nocino with complimentary snacks from Watershed Kitchen + Bar, Winans Chocolates + Coffees and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Additional attractions include a holiday gift shop, distillery tours and a fire pit with marshmallow roasting.
Watershed began producing nocino in 2014 with NocinoFest beginning in 2018. Somewhat of a rarity in the United States, the Grandview-based distillery describes itself as one of the few producers in America. The drink is dark brown in color and has a taste that, while nutty and sweet, is slightly bitter.
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Last year’s NocinoFest was presented in a drive-thru format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 event will return to a more conventional format, though masks are still required indoors.
“It’s our favorite time of year at Watershed, and we’re excited to welcome everyone back to the distillery for NocinoFest again,” says Greg Lehman, CEO of Watershed Distillery. “We have some exciting new offerings like Bourcino which has been a really fun project for the team and an exciting extension of one of our classic offerings this holiday season.”
This year, Watershed brings extra allure with the debut of Bourcino, a nocino using bourbon in place of vodka, which, the distillery says, is the first drink of its kind. That limited-release liqueur will be sold on a first-come basis at NocinoFest.
Bourcino features a slightly higher alcohol content at 26.6 percent alcohol by volume compared to 24.8 percent alcohol by volume in the distillery’s original barrel-finished nocino. While Bourcino will be available in limited quantities, the traditional nocino is expected to last through the holiday season.
NocinoFest takes place 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 4 at Watershed Distillery, 1145 Chesapeake Ave., Ste. D. The event is family-friendly and free parking is available on-site.
Cameron Carr is the associate editor. Feedback welcome at ccarr@cityscenemediagroup.com.
