“There’s food in whiskey but there’s no whiskey in food,” declares Enrico Carini, happily planted at the bar of Immortal Spirits Tasting Room, which he co-owns with Jesse Gallagher. It’s Saturday night and Immortal Spirits has a lot of empty seats but that doesn’t seem to matter.

Spirits are, no pun intended, high: each member of the tasting room’s staff has a clear passion for what they’re doing and they’re at the ready to become Medford’s new gathering spot. John Matacin, chef and distillery manager, brings out plates of brussels sprouts coated in bacon and lemon. Damon Clabeaux, tasting room manager and bartender, prepares demos of some of the house favorites (though they only seem to serve favorites).

Andria Singler, Immortal Spirits superfan turned hostess and server, has a contagious appreciation. Enrico talks about Immortal Spirits’ history of craft distilling since 2010: their whiskey, gin, rum, absinthe, and more are produced on house-made equipment and bottles are hand-numbered by the nano-batch. Enrico points out that less than 100,000 gallons per year qualifies a distillery as craft. Immortal produces by hand in 88-gallon batches, and though they’re growing they’re still very much a craft operation. “At 100,000 gallons you’re still just pushing a button,” says Enrico, and Damon adds, “We’re not only craft and local, this is our blood, sweat, and tears.”

At Immortal Spirits, local means they can show you a picture of the silo where they shovel 100% local grain into their own trucks. It means the beef in their hand-patted burgers, which comes from the Applegate, is fed the spent grains from the distillery. It means they’re even proud of their self-proclaimed “best hallway in Medford,” which features a mural painted by a local artist. Expanding from warehouse to tasting room was a no-brainer after five years fine-tuning a product the folks at Immortal Spirits can show off to their fans.

So, what’s in store? Live music, cocktail growlers, growing list of signature beverages and food, and undoubtedly a whole lot more passion and innovation.