CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio –The Never Ordinary Bourbon Society, which launched in early 2024 in Aurora, is opening a second location in Chagrin Falls this fall.
The flagship location of the exclusive, members-only club is inside Orchid House Winery. The new space — Never Ordinary Bourbon Society at La Cave — will be in the former Paris Room. Tucked behind a retail strip at 7 North Franklin St. in downtown Chagrin Falls, the club has speakeasy vibes.
It starts with the semi-hidden location in the lower level behind the 1883 building. To get in, members step into a vintage, red British phone box. There, facial-recognition technology triggers entry.
Once inside, members can cozy up in the 40-seat dining room or at the 11-seat bar.
Owner and creator Kathleen Birkel D’Angelo compares the Never Ordinary Bourbon Society to a country club. Members pay an annual fee to access the club’s two locations for fine dining, curated bourbon lists and an exclusive community.
D’Angelo is president of Tap Root Hospitality, the management company for Orchid House Winery, Sapphire Creek Winery and both NOBS (a.k.a. No B.S.) locations.
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It’s the kind of place you’ll find Eagle Rare, Pappy Van Winkle and a broad selection of Weller iterations, including the $7,500 Weller Millennium, on the bar shelves. Classic and craft cocktails — a list of 31 — are made with spirits like Buffalo Trace products, including Wheatley vodka as the “well” default.
The club recently brought in a select barrel of six-year-aged Angel’s Envy bourbon. To choose the barrel, D’Angelo and Director of Operations Leo Hines went to the distillery and tasted five barrel samples, each proofed to 110.
Hines describes the chosen bourbon as “complex with some brown sugar and caramel notes that drinks smooth.” Members can order a taste, serving or bottle to keep in an onsite locker. The club doesn’t have a license to sell retail outside the building, so all bottle purchases must be stored on site.
If guests don’t like bourbon, NOBS offers a short but lovely wine list as well.
The dining room has a French menu created by Chef Joey Biello, formerly of the Driftwood Group’s Welshfield Inn in rural Burton.
Decadent starters range from charcuterie and white bean dip to potato croquettes and oysters Rockefeller. Soups include lobster bisque and French onion. Among the entrees are Tournedos of Boeuf, Steak au Poivre, Cassoulet, La Cave Poulet and a smattering of Italian-influenced dishes.
Bourbon is the reason NOBS exists. Thus, the extensive list of cocktails and a curated list of flights. The most expensive is the “Give Me the Good Stuff” threesome — Bookers, Woodford Batch Proof and George T. Stagg — for $50.
The décor is a mix of vintage Cleveland artifacts from Cleveland Art, prints and wallpaper by Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli and imported Murano glass lighting. Details include everything from the door handle fashioned by local artist Jason Wein to the custom black walnut and bourbon-colored resin bar top. Never Ordinary Bourbon Society at La Cave is like stepping into the past with the best bourbons of today.
Both society spaces offer special events and tastings.
“We want to expand everyone’s horizons with bourbon,” said D’Angelo. A recent program is a “bourbon trail,” where members taste their way through certain bourbon locations without leaving the building.
While bourbon, food and ambiance are impressive, the club is just as much about building community, D’Angelo said.
“When you walk in, it’s like ‘Cheers,’” she said. “Everyone knows you.”
Membership is by referral. The application includes some character-seeking questions like “What would you tell your 21-year-old self?” and “What would your last meal be?”
Annual fees:
- Individual: $2,500/couple
- Corporate: $5,000/four individuals
- Corporate Plus: $7,000 (6), $9,000 (8), or $11,000 (10)
Liquor lockers are available for those who want to purchase and store bourbon at NOBS.
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