Freehold Distilling Company is coming to Route 9's Three Brooks Plaza
A former lighting showroom on Route 9 in Freehold Township soon will be the home of Monmouth County's newest distillery.
Freehold Distilling Company, founded by seven friends from Jackson, Freehold Township, Belmar and Colts Neck, is under construction in a nearly 10,000-square-foot space in Three Brooks Plaza, 3475 Route 9. The space previously housed Chester Lighting.
Co-owner Chuck Ricciardi said they hope to open in late spring or early summer.
He, along with co-owners Ian Ruderman and Mike Braun, also own The Boiling Point, a seafood boil catering company, and Ricciardi and Ruderman own Whisky Guild, a whiskey-tasting event company. Collectively, the owners — who also include Erik Gaines, Jared Gaines, John Cellini and Shannon Bradley, work in life insurance, finance, accounting and education. Ruderman is also the drummer for the band Moondoogie.
For Ricciardi, 49, owning his own distillery is the culmination of years spent in the liquor business. His family members owned bars, and he opened one in Bayonne when he was in his 20s.
"This just seemed like the next progression of that," he said.
The idea was hatched prior to the pandemic, and they leased the Route 9 space almost three years ago. Construction began in December 2025.
The distillery will feature a tasting room that can hold about 100 people and features a bar, fireplace lounge area, windows that look into the distilling area, and space for musical duos and trios. A second-level members-only tasting room that can accomodate about 80 people will feature two virtual golf simulator bays.
"Think of it like a private lounge; very upscale," Ricciardi said.
The private tasting room also overlooks the distilling area, which will hold fermentors, a mash house, barrel racks and a 400-gallon cooper still that "people can see from Route 9," Ruderman said.
The owners learned about production at Distillery University, an education center in Washington, and as for what Freehold Distilling Company will be making, "we will be like most distilleries, not locked into one thing," Ricciardi said. "We are big whiskey guys, so we'll definitely (have that), and (we'll probably) have some nice gin options, rum, vodka, liqueurs."
In the tasting room, mixologists will incorporate the spirits into cocktails.
Like breweries, distilleries in New Jersey cannot prepare food on site, but customers will be able to order from local restaurants. Three Brooks Plaza is home to Clarizio's Italian Ristorante and Lemon Mediterranean Restaurant, and Brownstone Pancake Factory and Tommy's Tavern + Tap are nearby.
Go:3475 Route 9, Freehold Township; instagram.com/freeholddistilling
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, and for more Jersey Shore food news, subscribe to our weekly Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Freehold Distilling Company opening on Route 9 at Three Brooks Plaza
