Lake House Distilling owners closing to spend time with family

Three years after opening as one of Franklin County’s first distilleries since Prohibition, Waynesboro’s Lake House Distilling Co. is closing its doors.

“The hospitality business is very demanding,” said Tara Lake, who owns the West Fifth Street business with her husband, Aaron.

They are closing the distillery to spend more time with family, including their three children — two in their 20s and a freshman in high school — and their parents.

Aaron works full time as an engineer for Sherwin-Williams and Tara is a substitute teacher. She said the distillery, their “side gig,” is very taxing and time with family gets sacrificed.

The last day for normal hours is Friday, March 31, and people with gift cards are asked to use them by the end of the month. There will be limited hours for bottle, merchandise and equipment sales as of April.

The business grew out of Aaron’s interest in wine-making, which progressed into distilling spirits. The couple purchased the building in 2018 and opened in January 2020 — just before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Takeout and delivery were offered early in the pandemic, and Lake House also distilled hand sanitizer for the post office, first responders, senior living centers and other local businesses.

Regularly open on weekends, customers could enjoy Lake House products, including whiskey, moonshine and brandy, along with signature cocktails, as well as food trucks and entertainment.

“It’s bittersweet. We love our customers,” Tara said, noting they are both very talkative and have developed good relationships in the community.

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“The past three years have been wonderful. We had the opportunity to grow an amazing brand, meet many great people and build some wonderful friendships. We have been blessed with the best staff who we consider to be our family,” the couple said in a Facebook post. “Thank you so much for all the love, support and memories over the past 3 years. It has truly been our pleasure. “

In addition to spending time with family, Tara said they are looking forward to having weekends off for activities like kayaking, tackling a laundry list of projects at their house and having dinner at a normal hour.

Shawn Hardy is a reporter with Gannett's Franklin County newspapers in south-central Pennsylvania — the Echo Pilot in Greencastle, The Record Herald in Waynesboro and the Public Opinion in Chambersburg. She has more than 35 years of journalism experience. Reach her at shardy@gannett.com