North Shore Distillery

28913 Herky Dr., Lake Bluff, 847-574-2499, northshoredistillery.com
With the opening of two new microdistilleries last year (Letherbee, Quincy Street) and two more by summer’s end (CH, Chicago Distilling), you’d think North Shore would be sweating the competition. Hardly. The pioneering Lake Bluff distillery is approaching its 10th anniversary with consistently delicious spirits (Distiller’s Gin No. 6 is an herbaceous bartender favorite), a newly expanded tasting room and patio, and the latest in its popular limited-edition series, on store shelves this month.