There were diehard fans of Shumrick and Lees Distillery in Norwood that were heartbroken when the distillery was purchased and rebranded as Robert James Distillery. It wasn’t because they were sad that the sale happened, they were sad because “their space” was closed.

Great news for them (and you… and me… all of us) the facility located at 2810 Highland Avenue has been reopened with a new life – it’s not just a small distillery anymore, it’s now become a new concept that hits on an entirely new front than the big RJ Cinema Taproom does over in Eastgate.

Meet Smoq & Water

It’s hard to describe the new space in a quick little blurb. On the surface it’s a barbecue restaurant that happens to serve some great, locally made spirits alongside their food. When you start to dig in a little deeper, though – there’s some really cool stuff going on there.

At the heart of what they’re doing is something that is called iStill, a new technology out of Amsterdam that enables the distillery to collaborate across a large network of like-minded, smaller distilleries and come to market quicker with cutting edge, patented spirit processes that are pretty sweet. The iStill technology brings together automation, robotization and the internet to enable the distiller to make some really great products.

About The Space

The space has undergone a lot of positive changes. They upgraded the decor, added new televisions, a digital jukebox, and probably most importantly – a full menu featuring barbecue and bar food, alongside craft and domestic spirits and curated cocktails.

They are being very deliberate in letting you know that Smoq and Water is a LOCAL Norwood bar and grill. They want people to be able to come into the space and grab food, and a great drink for under $10 – and that? I can get behind that.