With over 24 breweries and 73 distilleries between 1837 and 1919, Peoria became known as the “Whiskey Capital of the World”. With its proximity to the river and easy access to grains, Peoria saw a boom in the industry and a concentration of brewers and distillers in downtown Peoria known as “Distillery Row”.
With the onset of Prohibition, the region began to shift gears to take on new challenges and innovate in new industries. Today, that spirit lives in the form of Distillery Labs, an innovation hub launched in 2020 and set to open as a physical space in 2021.