Speakeasy bar resembling post office by owners of High Bank Distillery opens this week

Speakeasy’s are supposed to be a little elusive – sexy, dark, mysterious – so when you stumble upon this one, don’t be warded off by the post-office vibes, with fluorescent lighting and packaging supplies on the wall. It’s meant to look like that.

Until you check-in and find the secret door, of course. From there, you’re brought to High Bank Distillery Co.’s new Westerville speakeasy, called P.O. Box 21. The hidden bar underneath their new distillery, located at 28 St. State St., is an homage to the building’s, and the city’s, history.  The new, intimate space will propel you back into the times of the Whiskey Wars in the late 1800s, where opening a bar or even consuming alcohol could mean putting yourself, and your saloon, in danger. In fact, actual Prohibition, Anti-Saloon League propaganda was mailed out from this exact Post Office. 

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Westerville was known as “The Dry Capital of the World;” the community used to vehemently oppose the consumption of distilled spirits, to the point where Westerville saloons, like the ones owned by Henry Corbin, were blown to bits. Undeterred by diversity, Corbin established his own clandestine speakeasy in his downtown Westerville pool hall, selling beer to patrons who opposed Prohibition. He would be shocked to find that now, an elevated distillery will be gracing the same streets that once posed a threat to him.

There are no reservations or memberships to this speakeasy bar, and it seats around 40 people. It’s dark and filled with antiques, bringing you back to a Prohibition-style bar. But the drinks are a little more modern, with around dozens of cocktails, beer and wine selections, and small bites. 

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