A Spirited Strategy Game, Highly-Thematic Euro Game, Strive for The Title of Master Distiller, 1 to 5 Players, Ages 14 and up

dont listen to the trolls
Don’t listen to the ‘professional’ critics aka internet trolls. YES, they get it right 8 out of 10 times. The game is really good. It’s expensive because you get REALLY QUALITY components here. Setup is really quick. All the cards fit in the allocated spaces of the insert (with sleeves). Every component has an allocated space on the insert. As for game play, after ONE training play you can get it going. Your first game will not be without mistakes. But once you’re done, you’ll want to play it again. Plus, as a non-drinker I learned how spirits can be made and the process. If you like euro games and like their type of strategy this game is for your collection. I recommend you play with no more than 3 players, down time can be long each round. But boy is this game good. I wouldn’t call it fun, I would call it a serious game of enjoyment.

Distilled goes down smoothly and can be intoxicating.
In Distilled, you have inherited an old distillery and must refurbish it and compete with the other players to become the Master Distiller.This is a game about brewing various kinds of alcohol, so it may not be for the kiddies.Each player plays as a Distiller with different abilities, starting resources, and a unique Signature Recipe.During the Market Phase of each round, players buy ingredients (basic or premium). They may also buy new liquor recipes as well as various barrels and bottles or even upgrades for their distillery.During the Distill Phase of each round, players shuffle their ingredient cards together with water cards and yeast cards and alcohol cards, hoping to brew what they set out to brew. But as part of the brewing process, players remove the top and the bottom card from their stack of ingredients and fluids.Each time a player brews and sells a spirit, they get a label token for that spirit (while supplies of the tokens last!) and the label token will earn them some kind of bonus of their choice.During the Sell Phase of each round, players sell whatever they just created in the previous phase.Or, in the case of aged spirits like whiskey, they put it into a barrel and let it age for one or more turns before selling it. The longer a spirit ages, the more Spirit Points (victory points) and Flavor Cards (which can give extra money) they will earn. In the Age phase of each round, players add a Flavor Card to any spirits aging in their warehouse.Those Flavor Cards (which can be great or terrible) are revealed when the spirit is eventually sold. For example, you can brew a whiskey with amazing flavors like honey, maple, or chocolate…or you can have not-so-great flavors like iodine, grass clippings, or manure.Most of the time, a player’s Signature Recipe alcohol will earn them the most money and Spirit Points of anything they create. Some players will have a Signature Recipe that requires it to be aged for at least one turn. Others will have a Signature Recipe they can sell immediately.The game goes for seven rounds. Players will brew something each round. It can be easy to fail to make what you’re trying to make because of the cards that are removed from your ingredient stack when you brew. Those failures end up as either moonshine or vodka. Those spirits make money, but they aren’t going to impress anyone. There are many kinds of fancy bottles and upgraded barrels players can buy to create a better (and more profitable) final product.There isn’t a lot of player interaction in the game, other than buying premium items or ingredients before your fellow players can get to them.As a non-drinker myself, I still find Distilled to be an awesome and fun strategy game which has a lot of theme going for it.

Great game
I could write an exceedingly long review about this game, but I’ll keep it short here. This is a game that requires planning. It’s not the most difficult of games, but you have to be prepared to think ahead. And maybe have those plans shifted. There’s a lot to keep in mind when you take your turn, but it is a really well designed game that flows pretty well. The component quality is very high, and it seems to have some high replay value. Overall a solid game that I look forward to diving into more deeply.

Very Fun; Amazing Design; Complex for the Average Person
I really enjoyed this game and am having fun learning it. It has an amazing theme and is very on brand for anyone who enjoys distilled spirits. My only complaint is that it is a complex game for a casual game night. I spent almost an hour explaining the game and rules to friends and even then it took a few rounds for them to understand the game. That being said once everyone learned the rules they started getting into it and had fun. However, it takes someone who has read and understands the rules to get the game started. I would suggest playing 3 rounds for fun without worrying about goals or bottle bonuses to get everyone warmed up, then start a game for real by adding goals and bottle bonuses back into the game play. Overall 8/10 for a fun but complex game for the average person.