Deacon Giles Distillery

Loved my time here with great cocktails and great live music (cover charge only $5). Took punk prog (gin + triple sec + lemon grenadine) and Saturn returns (coconut based cocktail) and loved them. My partner took creature from the black lagoon (w/ dry ice) and a daiquiri and loved both. The lagoon grew on him as he drank more of it. Would like to see some whiskey/bourbon based cocktails!

NOTE: They do not serve food, I rated "Food" as "Beverages" :) The staff are incredible! Peter, Pam, Cody and Jesse are all friendly faces who greet you and we enjoy seeing when visiting this establishment. The drinks are remarkable! Fresh ingredients created by professional mixologists! The beauty of their liquor is that most, if not all, is gluten-free. We've tried almost everything on the menu and it does NOT disappoint! You cannot go wrong with the amazing flavors.

Not the best area of Salem, but that’s what makes this hole in the wall a gem! Definitely get the espresso martinis

Tucked away little bar in a neighborhood, Recommended getting the rum swizzle 10/10!! I had both the espresso martini and painkiller 7.5/10

If you're looking for something a little off the beaten path during your stay in Salem, I would highly suggest checking out the events or tours they have available. My husband and I enjoyed their founders tour where we sampled a handful of their spirits and then enjoyed a few cocktails afterwards. The tour was great! We learned a lot about the distilling process as well as the history around some of the spirits. Again would highly recommend for any one wanting to enjoy something a little more authentic or local to Salem. Also pictured is their some Pumpkin BS cocktail! Great for pumpkin latte lovers!

The service was absolutely great, super welcoming. All the bartenders, especially Codey, were working so hard to make sure everyone got their drinks. There was a wonderful woman, Ashley, that seemed like a manager, she did great running a well oiled machine. Busy night but it went so smoothly! I went w my friends to Twilight night, it was everything and more! The themed drinks were delicious, particularly LA PUSH!!! The decor was so good and clever too! They had a Forks set up for pictures that was handmade, so creative! I’m a huge twilight fan and it was a dream. The drinks are craft, made w love. I highly recommend!

Awesome place to grab some amazing cocktails. Don't be deceived by their location or 'curb appeal'. Dropped in for a corporate event and we had a BLAST. Kudos to Jesse and Rob and all the staff for showing is a great time while in Salem. Highly recommend Deacon Giles!

Far off the beaten path, this place would not survive if it wasn’t great. They love what they do and you can feel that when you walk in the door. There is a slight air of insider cliques where at first you may feel less welcome. This is because towns like Salem are overwhelmed by tourism and establishments have to be careful what people and behaviors they allow and encourage. Be respectful of the space, the staff, and the spirits. Recognize the passion they invest in both distilling great tasting spirits and in crafting unique and classic cocktails. Great humans making great drinks. Please don’t crush their spirits by being bad customers.

love love love. free street parking. cool atmosphere - a few high tops and bar seating. small, but right to the point menu made with their spirits. reasonably priced. made well. friendly staff & good service. theres another room on the side of the distillery that hosts events. there were bands playing when we arrived.

Had so much fun at Deacon Giles. this place is a little out of the way and you have to know where to look for it which definitely makes it all the more fun. They do distillery tours which are very informative and cool to learn from. The last time we came here we just came for drinks though. We walked in and were the only ones at the bar. Staff were friendly and we all started chatting. definitely a homey environment. Drinks are delicious and creative. Definitely stop in and check this place out!

They open at 2pm sharp on Saturdays! Me and my friends went there for a couple drinks, only one bartender working so the service was not so fast cause of the amount of people coming in at the same time.. but the drinks were great! Place looks very clean and the decoration was on point!

This was our first distillery in the state. To top it off it's a rum distillery. It has an interesting history about the devil making the rum. This place stands as a beacon of craft spirits, blending a rich historical setting with a commitment to artisanal excellence. From the moment you step into this distillery, you are transported to an interesting environment, start at a high level and move down into the valley to find a location to sit and decide what you want to drink. According to the history of this place It all began in Salem in the 1830's. As the Temperance Movement started gaining traction a local Reverend, named George Cheever, decided he'd champion the cause by writing a thinly veiled personal attack on local distiller John Stone. John Stone was a resident of Salem who had a prosperous career. He owned much of the property at the lower end of Chestnut Street, which included his home. He had a distillery at the end of Front St. Rev. George Cheever was outspoken preacher and writer who wrote a story about an impious, rum-making deacon named Amos Giles, Deacon Amos Giles was an evil rum distiller who distilled in the Sabbath, paid his worker in booze, sold bibles out of his counting room and was so cruel that his workers ultimately abandoned him. In is haste to replace his workers he unknowingly hired a gang of demons who were sent to teach Deacon Giles a lesson. The demons produced a bunch of rum barrels for him, but branded them with invisible messages that 'glowed with an unholy light' when tapped. The messages included temperance slogans described their contents such as 'Liquid Damnation','Death','Sickness', and 'Poverty'. The story inspired the distillery to revive the art of distilling in a town once rich in both rade and spirits, but sadly devoid of distilleries for the last 100 years. That's the story but from a sampling standpoint I had the spiced rum, amber rum and dark rum. I enjoyed them all. My favorite was the amber rum. This place is awesome. We had a fun time here and plan to come back again.

This was a delightful lil' gem and probably the highlight of my trip to Salem Peter and Christine were me and my friend's bartenders for the evening and they made it an absolute blast! Everyone was super friendly, the cocktails were delicious, and we really enjoyed the "get weird" daiquiri dice. Thanks so much for a wonderful evening, new friends! We're looking forward to another trip and stopping by again.

No whiskey. Not a bad place but not super fancy. Moscow mules are not what you will expect. Left unhappy. "They don't make good Moscow mules here" - as the girl says.

Maybe the best drink in town,informal atmosphere. Drinks are made perfectly, PAM is EXCEPTIONAL, I make a point of going there if I know she is serving, I highly recommend this bar, Very casual,

This was such a cool spot off the main area of Salem! The drinks were really good, the environment wasn't too loud or overstimulating, and I will definitely be heading back to do the Gin Tasting Tour soon!

We LOVE Deacon Giles and the Speakeasy! Whenever we have friends visiting from out of town, this is one of our first stops. While Salem can be very touristy, Deacon Giles is the total opposite. Their cocktails are incredible, using their own spirits made on site. They have such creative minds - you'll be impressed no matter what you order. Their service is always on point and their bartenders are so friendly and down to earth. We usually find that we stay way longer than planned just hanging out and chatting with everyone. They also host tons of cool events and collaborations throughout the year! Deacon Giles totally knows what they're doing and are absolutely worth the stop. You'll love it as much as I do, I know it!

This was such a cool concept and place. From the name, to the hidden location, you won't be disappointed! There is very little room for seating but that's what gives this place character. The service was incredible. The couple that works at the bar served my friends and I. They gave us great recommendations and were beyond welcoming! I bought a shirt while I was there because their merch was sick af!! If I am ever in the area I cannot wait to come for another visit!!

You must go here!! Such a great cocktail bar. The bartenders are incredible mixologists. The espresso martini with oat milk foam is amazing. Typical cocktail pricing (around $12). And they're dog friendly!

Deacon Giles speaks to my soul. Between the dope hip-hop soundtrack, fantastic service, and amazing cocktails, I love Deacon Giles. The crowd and vibe are chill and it's definitely one of my favorite spots. I haven't done the tour yet, but definitely want to. Also, I didn't know who Deacon Giles was (I mistook him for Giles Corey...ha...NOT the same person), but it is clearly explained on the website...and in the bathroom. Board games abound and it's 21+ after 7 p.m. You can also bring your dogs (the water dish may even have been designed by yours truly...I didn't look close enough to confirm), which is amazing. They offer mocktails for your knocked up friends, which is also cool. I was pleased to see several cocktail books on their shelves, like the one from PDT, my all-time favorite bar. The cocktails are fantastic and well-crafted. I love the names but I love the taste even more. My favorite is definitely their take on a Negroni (the D'egroni). The menu changes, which I appreciate. I've sampled their spirits, and I like the gin, which is quite clean tasting. I also like the amber rum. Deacon Giles is a wonderful cocktail bar (and distillery) and I'm so glad it opened in Salem. I have a deep love for my hometown and places like this just increase that love.

Great place with super craft cocktails. Check out their to go cans which are so good. Also love theory pop up food vendors kThe Crypt was there one time I was there, so good)

My nephew and his wife hosted their baby shower at DGD. It is kind of tucked in and pseudo residential - business area. But once you walk it, it is quite impressive. Is seems to be a good place for many people to mingle and enjoy the spirits on hand which are all made by DGD. Not my first choice to go with spirits over beer, but when in Rome! Had a drink called the Cosmic Feather Dust. What a great choice of flavors. The mix of the burnt orange and the vodka, pomegranate balanced with the triple sec was in credible. Hey he food might have been catered, not sure, but the entire experience was positive. But they truly hosted up and excellent event for our family event.

Great service and friendly people ! Love their Scarlet Absinthe, will make a great sazerac. If your in town I recommend stopping here and having a dram.

During a Halloween themed visit to Salem I decided to go off the beaten path and made my way to deacon Giles. Though Salem has a great variety of beer and cider, this is the only distillery in the area and it's claimed it's spot rightfully so. According to the best of my knowledge, deacon Giles is situated on the site of a former jail and they lean into that with some devilish imagery drawn in an old world style. Needless to say I liked their aesthetic. But. To the point of their drinks! They were amazing both in presentation and taste. We ordered two drinks, a pumpkin spice inspired creation and one that was called eclipse. The pumpkin spice drink was heavy on the pumpkin as promised, but it was surprisingly thick in consistency. Eclipse was made with hibiscus rum and dry ice which made it bubble and let off what looked like smoke. It was delicious, with enough tart and sweet to let the quality of their spirits shine through.

Hung out here for a couple of hours, downing a couple rounds of cocktails in their speakeasy lab, chatting, and playing some games. Their mulled cider was quite good, especially for the colder weather, and they had some interesting cocktail creations including multiple that utilized charcoal. They had a sjoelbak table (Dutch shuffleboard) which I had never seen before but seemed fun. I threw a few pucks down it right before we left. In the evening, they have a small selection of food (which we did not try bc we had dinner plans), and they also seem to hold weekly events which is nice.

Honestly, I didn't have the best time at Deacon Giles yesterday (a Sunday). I almost gave them 2 stars, but thought that might be a bit harsh. I'm hoping to go back soon to have a better experience. I drove from Dorchester, stopped to get the bf in Malden and then went up to Salem to make the 3 PM tour at Deacon Giles. I had a Groupon that was expiring on the 4th of July, but since tours are supposed to be twice on Saturdays and Sundays, I had until 6/30 to use it. So, after the drive, it turned out that there were no tours that day because they were having an art show. I had checked their website first and didn't see anything about that. I was annoyed, but decided that I would have some drinks since we came all the way up there. I was able to talk to one of the owners, Jessie, about the Groupon and he nicely said that I could redeem it on another day even if it expired. I appreciated that. Another couple was there for the tour and they settled for the rest of the Groupon (the tasting part) because they didn't want to drive back to Salem. Anyway, we sat at the bar and waited a while to order. I got The Balcony Scene (strawberry gin, rose cordial, honey-lavender & orange bitters). The bf got a bloody mary with black pepper vodka and tomato juice (they give you options to mix and match your own, which is cool). My drink was only ok. I wasn't expecting it to have that much of a bitter aftertaste. I won't say the drink wasn't balanced, I just expecting something a bit different than what it was. The bloody was delicious - spicy, flavorful and fresh. We sat there for a while and played some games even after our first drink glasses were cleared away. We were planning on ordering more drinks, but the bartender never came back. We waited 5, 10, 15, 20+ minutes before being fed up and asking Jessie for our check. The other thing that annoyed me was that Jessie kept saying that he was bar backing only, so there was essentially 1 bartender working the whole bar. The bartender stayed in the other corner and didn't come by. Also, I witnessed Jessie make multiple drinks for other people. I don't know if they were friends or regulars, but to watch him make 3 drinks in a row and then tell me that he was only bar backing and that the bartender would "get to me soon" after waiting 20 minutes was pretty crappy. I guess other people's business is more important. I gave him that feedback directly and he apologized, but it was too late. My bf and I went somewhere else. I'll be back for the Groupon deal I paid for and I hope to have a much better experience. I love distilleries (Short Path, Bully Boy) and want to add this to the list. They need to step it up and then I'll add more stars.

Great place for drinks, and I loved the mystery shot game! The gin here is amazing. Lot of great cocktails and the all the bartenders were friendly. Would definitely go back if I'm ever in the area. I would totally be a regular at this place if I lived here.

Want to thank everyone that was working and the "regulars" for welcoming us in last Friday! Visiting this distillery was one of the highlights of our trip to Salem! And if we ever visit again we 100% will come back!

This place is a treasure. They make some of the best cocktails I've ever tasted, and the staff is always friendly and approachable. They definitely don't make you feel uncomfortable about asking for twists or changes to your drink. They know what they're doing and they can even add smoke to drinks. We had a negative experience there recently that was not at all reflective of what the place is usually like. I contacted them and they were very professional and provided excellent customer service. They definitely care about their customers and want us to have a nice time. One thing to be aware of is that it's a small space with limited seating, but if you can get a spot, the drinks are worth it.

Great vibe, love the wall decor, the cocktail names are delightful. If you go keep a few things in mind: the staff are very nice but it can take like 12 minutes on a busy Friday night to get your drink, typically there is no food served here so you might want a bite before coming, and the bathroom is a single one person bathroom left of the bar. We went here for a murder mystery night and it was a lot of fun. Can't wait to go back.

This place has the absolute best cocktails in Salem, and has such a friendly, laid back vibe. I've visited several times and have always had a great experience - whether it's just pulling up to the bar for drinks at the Speakeasy Lab or enjoying one of their events like karaoke, or a distillery tour. Over Memorial Day Weekend, I had called ahead for a group of about 14 people to have drinks in their lounge. They were super responsive to my messages, had set aside space for us, and were super attentive with service. We had an awesome time. Have I mentioned that their drinks are absolutely expertly-made, creative and delicious? Because they are. If you visit Salem, do not miss this awesome spot.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions and even better spirits. Hidden jewel. Go ahead, dance with the devil and roll the dice where the bartender makes you their choice

I am so glad we decided to come here and do the tour. The bar area is super relaxed and not touristy at all, especially compared to other places in Salem. I came here with two friends and we ordered drinks at the bar before the tour. I ordered a pina colada and I can't remember what my friends ordered other than one drink had egg whites in it. The bartender did a great job explaining the drinks and making suggestions. Everything we ordered was really good and worth the money. It was nice to have a really well made cocktail that looks beautiful and had nice garnishment. We weren't rushed to finish them and were encouraged to bring them on the tour with us. The tour itself takes place in one large room. It was lead by one of the owners who gave great background information about the distillery and how each alcohol is made. We were visiting from Kentucky, the land of bourbon, and he made a point to kind of compare and contrast to the bourbon industry with us. He was super personable and answered all of the questions we had. The tasting was fun! I think we tried like 6 or 7 different products. If you are a total lightweight like me, make sure you eat before this tour. Between my drink and the tasting, I accidentally got day drink. Oops! I am by no means an expert on various alcohols but I did enjoy the ones we tried - there was a nice variety as well. I'd never had gin before and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I have very few cons and I'm not counting it towards the distillery. A group on our tour showed up late, talked the whole time, and were unengaged. I felt bad because the guy giving our tour doesn't have a microphone or anything so at times it was harder to hear him over the loud annoying group. They have a couple of merch items for sale in the bar. We each bought a shirt and I'm so glad I did. I got the purple v neck tee and it is hands down the most comfortable shirt I've ever owned. I highly recommend coming here - even for just a cocktail. It's a nice place and everyone we talked to here was so nice and engaging.

We really enjoyed our visit. The cocktails were very good and the presentation was great. The staff was very friendly. We will be back!

Really great unique cocktails and the food truck that was there was pretty good as well. My only suggestion would be, if you are ordering a classic cocktail; ask the bartender or waiter how it is prepared. I ordered a pain killer which is a pretty standard/classic rum based cocktail that I have never received blue...However the one I got here was blue. It was still good, but I am guessing it had blue curacao is not typical. Not sure if the menu stated this, I cant remember if I'm honest and if it does then that's on me for not paying attention.

My boyfriend and I stopped through this place and had an awesome time. The drinks all tasted great and the bartenders had a lot of good recommendations for us. Plenty of alcohol and lots of fun games and fun people to keep you hanging out for a while. Overall, lots of fun and we will definitely return. Lyft and Uber will drop you off on canal so make sure you walk up Gardner to get to the entrance!

The drinks here are heavenly. They use high quality, minimalist ingredients to show off their gin and rum which is distilled on the premise. The bar tenders are truly mixologist's and they add new drinks to the menu all the time. Even if you don't consider yourself a "gin" or "rum" lover, they can create drinks for just about anyone -- trust me, had a picky friend come in who is not an adventurous drinker/foodee. She loved it. The latest special was coffee infused rum used to make an old fashioned, or a "white Russian" giving it a splash of half-n-half. The owners/distillers are almost always present, and are the nicest of people, making spending your money here all the more worthwhile. Check it out!!

We stopped in with a small group during a Halloween visit to Salem, and it was a fabulous time. The staff was friendly, warm, and welcoming, and let us sit in their wide open tiki patio and have a few cocktails. The drinks were strong and delicious, and they even let us sample some of their house-made liquors! Needless to say, I took home a few bottles and everything is incredible. The staff even came out to do a shot with us! Really a wonderful place with tons of character and amazing drinks. Pay them a visit when you're in Salem! We'll definitely be back.

We had a lot of fun at Deacon Giles. We reserved a table and ended up sitting by the 'fireplace' on the sofa. We had some great drinks and shared warm pretzels and mustard. The staff are friendly and super helpful. Worth a visit, but you may have to work a little to find your way in!

Such a cool distillery! It's a very small operations but you can tell how passionate they are about their products. The tour is neat and at the end you can try samples their products. Their bar is really fun. The bartenders are super friendly and the drinks are unique and tasty. They are gonna start distilling whiskey so I am very excited to give that a try!

What an awesome time me and my friends had! My husband got the Xanax drink which looked absolutely delicious, and he said it was really good. As for myself, I can't say I tried the liquors because I'm pregnant so I opted for a non alcoholic drink. It had their syrups in it that they make and was very good. While the drinks were amazing, I can't get over how friendly and polite the staff were. My husband sat talking to the bartender almost the whole time and he was such a down to earth kind of guy. He gave us tips on what to do around Salem, and when it came time to pay he told me my non alcohol drink was on the house! He got a good tip out of all of us because, for me, friendliness of staff goes a long way. I can't recommend this place enough and when you're in the area, I'd highly consider going.

This place was amazing! We visited from Arizona and were looking for a place to just hang out and drink. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the drinks were so good! I really recommend this place! Also, side note, we had to leave in a hurry for a reservation we had and I left my limited edition water bottle there, my husband contacted them and they sent my water bottle back to me in Arizona! I am so grateful! Very friendly and great customer service!

Thanks to Corey for the awesome distillery history and lesson. Amazing spirits and great atmosphere. Loved the flavors of all the spirits. Cheers for one last time here with the Waffle House.

What a fantastic experience!!! Please ask Jesse, one of the owners, the inspiration behind this great distillery. You will learn a whole lot more about the fantastic seedy underbelly of this New England port city; and it doesn't involve witches!!! All of the cocktails were superior, the spirits nothing less than divine! Try the meat sticks, leave with a 75mL of spirit of choice and perhaps a kit to make it even more magical. I wish them much success!!!

Let me start by stating that I am a craft beer drinker. I don't really drink many cocktails made with rum and never with gin. However, I decided to stop by with our group on our annual girl's weekend to Salem because we like to try new places and have different experiences. AND, we had a Groupon. My sister and I didn't like the gin and rum. My daughters, on the other hand, did! In fact, one of them bought a bottle of gin to take home to her husband. The Distillery is crisp and clean. We were the only ones there (it was early afternoon). So, we had the full attention of our server who was happy to give us all the info we needed and answered all our questions. I have no reason to go back, but would recommend stopping by to check out the Distillery.

Super cool distillery! We came here for a tour and tasting last weekend and had a great time. The atmosphere is casual and laid back. The tour lasted about 15ish minutes and then we sat at the bar for tastings. The tour went through the distilling process and we had the opportunity to ask questions along the way. For the tasting, they gave us tastes of all the liquors they make (spiced rum, amber rum, silver rum, vodka, gin) and talked about the specifics of them. Upon special request, they also kindly provided tastes of their absinthe, which is new and hasn't been released just yet, and their coffee rum. Their drink menu is great! I tried three drinks on there and enjoyed them all, some to my surprise because I'm kind of picky. Their gin especially surprised me by being very smooth. Apparently theirs is a "western" gin, which has more flavor to it than just the typical juniper "london dry" gin. Along with the bar, they have some tables that seat two and four people and they have several games, card and board to play. We played Exploding Kittens and had a fun time. Parking is all street and shouldn't be problematic. As of when we went, there is a groupon that covers the tour, tasting, and rocks glasses. The glasses are really nice; etched so they're dishwasher safe! You can also purchase a bottle of their liquor if you would like. Prices are around $30-35 for a bottle.

This place has some of the most interesting craft spirits I've ever tasted. Their white rum has a unique complexity from using multiple types of molasses, and their vodka has a smooth hint of the cane sugar used to make it. These flavors give an intriguing twist to classic cocktails (I LOVED my classic daiquiri) and new favorites (like their wonderful espresso martini) alike. Make sure to stop in when they're doing a tour, and don't leave without hearing the story behind their name. With friendly people and delicious booze, Deacon Giles is a must-see for anyone in the greater Boston area

Another stellar evening! Po Boys and pies pop up! Delicious! The beverages were as always stellar and unexpected.

Super cool place to go. Drinks are delicious. A little hard to find, which makes it super cool.

Deacon Giles is a pretty cool place. I had never done a distillery tour so it was fun to see how liquor is made. The owner is a nice guy and knows his stuff and made the tour interesting. You could try like 7 different liquors at the end of the tour. The bar area has a cool atmosphere and the bartender brought us drinks while we were on tour which was really nice. Overall it was a fun time and their liquor is really good.

We took the distillery tour which was a great value and a lot of fun. We bought some cool shirts, hats and a couple of bottles of liquor. One of the owners led the tour and he was super knowledgeable and passionate about his craft. They have a funky little bar with a lot of interesting hand crafted drinks, like the pumpkin martini I had. A must do activity for anyone who enjoys a little rum and vodka tasting while you learn. Not the usual touristy and packed place you find in Salem, so worth the side trip to go.

This craft distillery is hidden off of Canal Street, but once you find the location, it is a nice place. The front room is set up as a tasting area with a bar. One of the owners was there and taught us about craft distilling of gin and rum. We were able to have small tastes of both the gin and rum and both were SO DELICIOUS. We had the opportunity to tour the tank area and really understand the process of creating both gin and rum. We purchased a bottle of each, and the gin works out really well with muddled mint as a mojito. The rum works well with coke or any juice. The flavor of these spirits are so much better than your brand name options at the liquor store. I highly recommend trying Deacon Giles liquors!

Lovely place! The owner and bartenders were so friendly and knowledgable, and explained our drinks thoroughly. I tried both a rum drink and gin drink, both were delicious!

LOVED LOVED LOVED this tour. We used a groupon and our experience was just amazing. The drinks, the samples, and the tour was great/interesting and we ended up bringing a bottle home with us!

Really fun place to hang out the staff are awesome and super friendly. One of the rare places I can get a rum swizzle. Retro game night was real fun hoping to see more theme nights like this. Oh and you can get food delivered if you so choose

I recommend doing the distillery tour. Super informative and fun. You get to try 5 spirits, too! In their tasting room, they make the best drinks. Super friendly and knowledgeable staff. Worth the 15 minute walk from the train.

Yummy spiced rum and a small bar that makes cocktails. They also have gin and white rum. They're adding vodka soon. Friendly owner and bartender. Definitely worth a trip.