Paverson Games Distilled: A Spirited Strategy

Great game. Unfortunately, it arrived with some damage to the box, which also caused small damage to the plastic insert. I have since noticed more damage than shown in the photos.

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.

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.

Winning or losing, this game is a lot of fun. It is by far the most premium game in our collection. Materials are A++ throughout. This game also packs away better than any game I've ever seen. There's a container or place for everything - no baggies, no need to get your own little containers or trays - this game has everything included. It's gorgeous... Besides the production value, it is also a very fun game with some great game mechanics. I could be a little biased because I'm a whiskey nerd, but this game just hits all the right notes. Lots of replay value too with different "tasting flights" that will change the game quite a bit. I'd put it at medium weight. Also to note it has been taking us longer than the 30 minutes per player stated on the box. But we're still new so we'll probably speed up as it becomes more natural.

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.