Laurel Highlands Pour Tour relaunches with added locations
Thanks to interest in the region’s thriving craft beverage industry, the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour is returning for a second year.
Since the tour launched in the fall of 2019, numerous new craft beverage locations have opened in the region, allowing version 2.0 to expand from about 30 to 45 locations, including pop-up and farmers’ market locations.
“We could not have imagined the overwhelming interest in the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour when we launched the program last fall,” said Kristin Ecker, Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau senior director of marketing.
Developed by the visitors bureau to collectively promote the region’s craft beverage industry, the passport-based Laurel Highlands Pour Tour 2.0 includes 17 breweries, 13 wineries, eight distilleries, one cidery and one meadery.
“Through our conversations with participants we’ve learned they use the passport and program as an itinerary builder for a day or weekend, a way to connect with friends and family, and most importantly, as a tool for new discoveries,” said LHVB Executive Director Ann Nemanic. “The (tour) has become a destination in and of itself.”
“The Laurel Highlands Pour Tour has tapped into a hidden tourism industry from within our own communities, introducing our neighbors to the craft industry that has been hidden in plain sight,” said Meredith Baldock, owner of Crooked Creek Distillery in Irwin and West Newton. “It is (a) win for our business and products, a win for our customers and a win for the towns where we operate, which profit secondarily from the foot traffic and interest.”
Pour Tour passports can be ordered by calling 724-238-5661, ext. 101, or online at lhpourtour.com. They also can be picked up at the LHVB administrative offices, 113 E. Main St., Ligonier, and at visitor information centers, brochure racks and participating locations. Participants are encouraged to use #LHPourTour on their social media posts while exploring the tour.
The Pour Tour app will be available for download beginning Friday by searching “Laurel Highlands Pour Tour” and downloading to a smartphone. The app acts as a planning tool for completing the trail and exploring sites and special events.
Prizes and coupons
When participants stop at a participating site and make a purchase, a sticker will be placed in the passport for validation. Prizes will be awarded for collecting stickers from eight, 18 or 38 participating locations.
When participants complete a prize increment, they can bring or mail passports for validation to the LHVB Ligonier office. Mailed passports will be returned to the participant.
Participants who complete all 38 stops will be entered into a chance to win a grand prize beverage-themed Laurel Highlands getaway valued at $1,000.
“The Laurel Highlands Pour Tour brings a lot of excitement for us and our guests,” said Kevin Ridilla, owner of Unity Brewing in Latrobe. “Some come in specifically to get their sticker while they enjoy some food and drinks, while others learn about the program when they see the books on the bar.”
New to this year’s passport are breweries Allusion Brewing, Brew Gentlemen, Conny Creek Brewing, Sobel’s Obscure Brewery and Unity Brewing. Four new distilleries include Crooked Creek Distillery, Ponfeigh Distillery, Salem Spirits and White Valley Distilling. New winery participants are Bee Kind Winery and Gallatin Estate Winery.
Also new, the Pour Tour passport will offer exclusive coupons at other Laurel Highlands businesses. Participants can scan the QR code on their passport to unlock deals.
“Relaunching an initiative that supports local businesses and economies, and helps people experience all that the Laurel Highlands has to offer along the way, is a winning combination for us and the communities we serve,” Ecker said.
“We have seen so many new faces who didn’t know our brewery existed,” said Susan Walker, manager of Whitehorse Brewing in Berlin, Somerset County. “This summer, it gave folks the chance to see our new outside pavilion and they just love it. The Pour Tour has provided a great opportunity for us and our small community by helping the local economy succeed.”
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.