Guthrie’s drinking community is a little less happy this week, with the closure of Mack & Ike’s, which had been located adjacent to the distillery at the northwest corner of Oklahoma and Wentz.
The ownership of Mack & Ike’s announced late Friday in a Facebook post that the bar would be closing permanently, although the post claimed that something new would be put in its place.
The News Leader was able to receive confirmation via text from Brittany Timmons, President and CEO of the Guthrie Chamber of Commerce, that WanderFolk Distillery had bought out the bar and intended to convert it into a tasting room for the distillery’s tours.
When Mack & Ike’s was originally conceived in early 2021, it was intended for the tasting room concept to be its main function, although the ownership group eventually allowed the space to be leased and used as both the tasting room during the day and an upscale space for craft cocktails at night. It opened officially in July 2021 and found its first big use during the return of Guthrie’s Red Brick Nights that year.
The closing of Mack & Ike’s comes close on the heels of the shutdown of another long-time Guthrie watering hole, Rooster’s Hard Times Club at 322 W Oklahoma. Rooster’s closed up permanently in January after nearly 6 years in business.