Not Your Grandpa's Whiskey Bar
Wigle Whiskey, Distillery Expansion
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To Higher Education
Pittsburgh, PA | 3,500 SF
That was then, this is now: With outdoor space and a bright, accessible interior, Wigle gives sippers a modern whiskey experience.
The expansion of Wigle Whiskey’s Strip District distillery is a testament to Wigle’s dedication to provide their customers and their community with a great product, a great experience, and great insights about Pittsburgh’s rich history of whiskey production (thanks to a new interactive museum inside the space). Since Wigle first re-established Pittsburgh’s whiskey making tradition in 2012, we’ve worked with them to design distinctive spaces that celebrate how Wigle brings people together (read more about our previous work with Wigle here). For our latest collaboration, we infused their unique spirit into newly acquired spaces: the front of their existing building and one neighboring building.
Wigle's distillery expansion takes advantage of large windows to provide guests views to the street. New outdoor seating helps activate the sidewalk.
A light, bright interior helps redefine 'saloon' for a new generation of whiskey aficionados.
The existing distillery opened its doors in what was once a neglected part of Pittsburgh. The space quickly established itself as a new kind of whiskey watering hole. Open and welcoming to all, it has become a catalyst, sparking new interest and growth in the surrounding neighborhood. This new expansion continues this trajectory by incorporating their brand experience into the architecture of the new space.
Wigle's bar is fully accessible from the street so all can enjoy.
A fully accessible bar welcomes slow sippers and grab-n-goers to taste before they buy. Expansive windows with insulated glass bring daylight in, provide views out, and pique curiosity of pedestrians in this highly walkable neighborhood. A window into the production area offers a peek behind the scenes. All lighting is LED, including overhead pendants shaped like Wigle’s unique ‘g’ and bottle outline on an interior doorway. Hexagonal tiles on the bar appear almost like honeycomb, a nod to Wigle’s use of honey in many of its products. Known for their whiskey tours that share the history of Pittsburgh’s Whiskey Rebellion, historical highlights have been incorporated into the corridors and help draw patrons through the space.
The expansion design takes advantage of a long corridor by creating an interactive gallery that shares the lost history whiskey production in Pittsburgh.