Distilled

Each player selects a distiller identity, which provides unique asymmetric abilities and starting resources (money, ingredients, and a signature recipe). Players set up their individual distillery boards, which include spaces for upgrades, a pantry for ingredients, a storeroom for barrels and bottles, and a warehouse for aging spirits. The central market is stocked with basic and premium ingredients, barrels, bottles, upgrades (specialists and equipment), and additional recipes. The score track and round tracker are placed on the table, and spirit award tokens are prepared.

The primary objective in Distilled is to become the master distiller by accumulating the most spirit points. Players achieve this by efficiently running their distilleries, distilling a variety of spirits, learning new recipes, and strategically selling or aging their products. The game is played over seven rounds, after which final scoring determines the winner.

Each round of Distilled is divided into four distinct phases: Market, Distill, Sell, and Age. In the Market phase, players take turns purchasing ingredients, barrels, bottles, and upgrades from the basic and premium markets, as well as new recipes, until all players pass. The Distill phase involves players selecting ingredients (yeast, water, and sugars) from their pantry, shuffling them, and then removing the top and bottom cards (representing the 'head' and 'tail' of the distillation process). The remaining cards determine the type and quality of the spirit produced. The Sell phase allows players to sell their newly distilled or previously aged spirits, earning money and spirit points based on the spirit's type, quality, and any applicable bonuses. Finally, the Age phase is where players can choose to age spirits that require it, placing them in barrels in their warehouse to gain additional flavor cards over subsequent rounds.

Spirit points are the main currency for victory. Players earn points primarily by successfully distilling and selling spirits, with higher-quality or aged spirits yielding more points. Additional points can be gained from distiller upgrades, which often provide end-game scoring conditions related to items in storage or specific types of spirits. Collecting sets of bottles from different regions also contributes to end-game scoring. Furthermore, players score points for achieving specific spirit awards throughout the game, and private distillery goals provide individual scoring opportunities at the end of the game. Leftover money at the end of the game is converted into points at a 5:1 ratio.

The game concludes after the completion of the seventh round. Following the final Age phase, players proceed to end-game scoring. This involves tallying points from all sources: sold spirits, aged spirits (including bonuses from flavor cards), distiller upgrades, collected bottle sets, and fulfilled private distillery goals. Any remaining money is converted into spirit points. The player with the highest total spirit points is declared the master distiller and wins the game.