Copper Fiddle started as a bet-on-yourself move by an architect and a PGA golf pro who walked away from their careers to build a grain-to-bottle distillery in the Chicago suburbs. Founded in 2013 and now under new ownership since 2019, the distillery has grown into one of the most active tasting rooms in the region, turning out eight spirits -- three bourbons, a rye, three gins, and both gold and silver rum -- all made on-site from Midwest-sourced grains using a handmade copper pot still. The space leans into a rock-and-roll, neighborhood-bar vibe with live music running almost every night of the week. You can catch a Saturday or Sunday tour to see the stills up close and taste through the lineup, or just pull up to the bar on a Friday night and order a cocktail from a menu built entirely around what they make here. The Fyren Gin, finished with serrano pepper, is worth a pour if you want something that cuts through. This is not a museum piece of a distillery -- it's a working operation that also happens to be a genuinely fun place to spend a few hours in Lake Zurich.