About us 

Altered State Distillery is a small family-owned and operated business and brain-child of  long-time friends, Gavin Maus and Aaron Hetz. 

Natives of the Erie area they came into the business with a strong desire to build the first distillery in the City of Erie since prohibition, and to bring the best quality small-batch whiskeys, spirits and craft cocktails to the region. They spring-boarded themselves into this venture having varying degrees of experience in both brewing and distilling.  Aaron, having racked-up experience working in the restaurant and brewing industries, had also also dabbled in whiskey distilling  at his temporary home in Lyons, Colorado.  And Gavin, who in a past life was a sales engineer for an Erie manufacturing  company, started honing his skills as a homebrewer back in his mid 20s, with the hopes of one day opening a brewery. 

Both gentlemen also enjoy playing music, boating, camping and attending music festivals and concerts whenever possible. A nod to their love of live music in engrained in just about every aspect of the distillery from the bottle labels to the tasting room walls.  

 Their wives, Heather Maus and Megan Hetz (saints in their own right) both serve the Erie community as registered nurses while performing different roles within the business. 

Both families currently reside in Fairview and have children enrolled in the Fairview School District

The Distillery

 The custom-built production space houses a 600-gallon mash tun, 500-gallon copper hybrid still with a 6
plate column, a 500 gallon pot still, (2) 600-gallon fermenters, a 25-gallon copper hybrid still with a 6 plate column, and (2) 75-gallon holding tanks.

Call ahead or email us to schedule a tour