When Zachary Robinson decided to leave his job to open Short Path Distillery alongside two longtime buddies with whom he ran a Scotch club, he says it “wasn’t too far of a leap” from his chemistry career. In fact, the name of the Everett distillery, which the trio opened in June, stems from a chemistry pun. Short path distillation uses pot stills, with no refining column, so there’s a short distance between the boiling and condensing containers. “We only use pot stills because they produce a more flavorful, big, bold, robust spirit,” Robinson says. As of now, those spirits only include a white rum and a gin, but Short Path plans to soon include a triple sec, an ouzo and a more savory, seasonal gin. But Robinson is particularly proud of Short Path’s rum: “We had some Puerto Ricans come in and they said, ‘Oh this tastes like pitorro,’ which is Puerto Rican moonshine, the white rum they make in their backyard.”

Short Path Distillery 71 Kelvin St., Everett. Open for tastings Fri., 5-9 pm; Sat., noon-9 pm; Sun., noon-5 pm and tours Mon.-Thu. evenings by appointment. (857-417-2396) shortpathdistillery.com.