Upgrading Distilled: Which Component Upgrades Are Worth It?

Quick answer

Start with the upgrades you touch every turn: Distilled Metal Coins and Distilled Cocktails Acrylic Mixer Tokens if you own the Cocktails expansion. Add the Distilled Playmat if setup and card handling slow your table down. Buy expansions only after the base game hits the table regularly.

Distilled already works out of the box. The question is which upgrades earn their place on your table and which just look nice in a photo. This guide sorts the current Distilled accessories by what they change during play, not by how they photograph.

You do not need every upgrade. A few targeted purchases can cut setup friction, make currency easier to read, and add variety once the base game starts feeling familiar. Here is how to decide in what order.

Upgrades that change how the game feels

The strongest upgrades are the ones your hands touch constantly. Distilled Metal Coins replace the cardboard coins in the main game with 59 zinc-alloy coins in three sizes and colors, so denominations are easier to sort and stack. That matters most in the late game, when you are counting money across several turns.

The Distilled Cocktails Acrylic Mixer Tokens do the same job for the Cocktails expansion. They are acrylic upgrades to the basic cardboard tokens, and the click and weight make them easier to pick up and move without fumbling. If you already own Cocktails, this is the upgrade you will notice every round.

• Prioritize upgrades you touch every turn over cosmetic table pieces.
• Metal coins help most when your group struggles to read cardboard currency at a glance.

Upgrades that reduce setup friction

The Distilled Playmat is a full-art neoprene mat that sits in the middle of the table as the market mat. It holds the decks and face-up cards for Distillery Upgrades and Premium Items and Ingredients, and it is placed next to the truck board. It is not required to play, but it makes setup and card pickup easier.

This is the upgrade to consider if your group spends the first few minutes of every game sorting piles and sliding cards around. It does not change rules or scoring. It changes how quickly you get to the first round and how often cards stay where you put them.

• Choose the playmat if setup time, not gameplay depth, is your main annoyance.
• Skip it if your table is already tight or you prefer a minimal footprint.

Expansions: variety after the base game clicks

The Distilled Cask Strength Expansion is a mini-expansion with four parts: new distillery upgrades, special flavors, upgraded premium ingredients, and a new dynamic market mechanic. It adds a touch more complexity and variety, which is ideal once you know the base game well and want a small shake-up rather than a full overhaul.

The Distilled Africa & Middle East Expansion adds over 100 cards and tokens, including new recipes, spirits, identities, and upgrades. This is the bigger variety purchase. It diversifies play, but it also adds more to teach and store, so it makes sense for groups that already play Distilled often.

• Buy Cask Strength for a light complexity bump; buy Africa & Middle East for a larger content injection.
• Do not buy expansions before the base game reaches the table regularly.

How to sequence your purchases

If you own the Cocktails expansion, the acrylic mixer tokens and metal coins are the first two upgrades to consider because they improve the components you handle most. If you do not own Cocktails, start with the metal coins, then the playmat, then expansions.

A simple rule: fix friction before adding content. Upgrades that speed up setup or make currency readable pay off every session. Expansions pay off only when you have enough sessions to explore them. Buying both at once often means one sits unopened.

• Track one annoyance for three game nights before buying an upgrade to fix it.
• If you are unsure between two upgrades, pick the one that touches the most turns.

Decision rules for Distilled upgrades

• If you play Distilled at least monthly: Start with Distilled Metal Coins. You handle currency every turn, and metal coins make counting faster and more satisfying than cardboard. Best first upgrade for most owners.
• If you own the Cocktails expansion: Add Distilled Cocktails Acrylic Mixer Tokens before any other upgrade. They replace the cardboard tokens you already use in that expansion. Skip if you do not own Cocktails.
• If setup or card handling slows your group down: Buy the Distilled Playmat. It organizes the market area and makes cards easier to pick up, but it does not change rules. A convenience upgrade, not a gameplay one.
• If the base game feels solved or repetitive: Choose Distilled Cask Strength Expansion for a small complexity bump, or Distilled Africa & Middle East Expansion for a larger content injection. Only buy expansions after the base game hits the table regularly.

Product facts

• Distilled Metal Coins: A set of 59 custom zinc-alloy coins in three sizes and colors: 10 gold, 16 silver, and 33 bronze. Replaces cardboard coins in the main game and makes denominations easier to sort and stack during play.
• Distilled Cocktails Acrylic Mixer Tokens: Acrylic mixer tokens designed as upgrades to the basic cardboard tokens in the Cocktails expansion. Only useful if you own the Cocktails expansion; they add weight and click for easier handling.
• Distilled Playmat: A full-art neoprene playmat that serves as the market mat, holding decks and face-up cards for Distillery Upgrades and Premium Items and Ingredients. It is not required to play. Reduces setup and card pickup friction, but does not change rules or scoring.
• Distilled Cask Strength Expansion: A mini-expansion with four parts: new distillery upgrades, special flavors, upgraded premium ingredients, and a new dynamic market mechanic. Adds complexity and variety for groups that already know the base game well.

Who should buy which upgrade

Best for

• Owners who play Distilled often and want faster, more readable currency handling
• Groups that own the Cocktails expansion and want to replace its cardboard tokens
• Players who want to reduce setup time and keep the market area organized

Not for

• New players who have not yet played the base game enough to know what annoys them
• Buyers who do not own the Cocktails expansion and are considering the acrylic mixer tokens
• Groups that prefer a minimal table footprint or already have an efficient storage solution

Upgrade in the order you touch the game: coins first, acrylic tokens if you own Cocktails, playmat if setup drags, expansions only when the base game is a regular habit. That sequence keeps every purchase useful instead of decorative.