Whether you’re a whiskey connoisseur or a rookie, visiting distilleries offers a unique experience that you won’t get from hanging out at your most beloved whiskey bar. Distilleries are the birthplaces of your favorite beverages. Many offer tours that give you a look at the science, art and history of making whiskey and other spirits.
Fortunately, there’s no shortage of whiskey distilleries in the U.S. So we’ve compiled the best distilleries in all 50 states. Let’s see how many you can check off your bucket list.
How we Chose the Best Distillery in Every State
Choosing the best distillery in every state is subjective, of course, but here’s what we considered in selecting these can’t-miss destinations:
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Do they make whiskey? This is a blog about whiskey, so naturally, we stuck to distilleries that make at least one type of whiskey. But we gave preference to those with a varied selection or unusual recipes and production menus.
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The story behind the whiskey. Whiskey tastes even better when there’s a good story behind it. So we looked for those with interesting histories to choose each state’s best distillery.
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Overall experience. We don’t want to send you to far-flung distilleries just to drink. So we looked for distilleries with something extra to offer, like a scenic view, interesting events or popular tours and tastings.
To choose the best distillery in every state, we relied on personal experience, as well as online reviews. We also asked Double Neat readers to tell us about their favorite distilleries. Many of the establishments featured on this list were recommended by you.
The Best Distilleries in All 50 States
Drum roll, please. These are our picks for the best distillery in all 50 states.
Best Distillery in Alabama: John Emerald Distilling Co.
706 N. Railroad Ave., Opelika, Alabama
The release of John Emerald’s Alabama Single Malt Whiskey in 2015 marked a big milestone: It was the first legally distilled bottle of whiskey produced in the Yellowhammer State in a century. (Alabama banned booze in 1915, five years before the rest of the U.S. But even after Prohibition ended, Alabama’s laws made it almost impossible to legally produce whiskey.)
The father-and-son-owned John Emerald Distilling Co. offers tours with or without tastings. There’s also a tasting room where you can sample spirits or sip a cocktail.
Best Distillery in Alaska: Arctic Harvest Farm Distillery
4751 Eielson Farm Road, North Pole, Alaska
Believe us when we say this family-owned distillery is a hidden gem: Located in North Pole (an Alaskan town, not the home of Santa Claus) the website warns that Google Maps isn’t always accurate due to the remote location.
Tasting room hours are limited to special events and private parties. Whether you make the trek to North Pole or order a bottle online, you’ll find selections like Solstice Shine Moonshine Whiskey and AK Northern Light Whiskey that celebrate the Alaska frontier.
Arizona’s Best Distillery: Whiskey Del Bac
2106 Forbes Blvd., Unit 103, Tucson, Arizona
This Tucson distillery is acclaimed for its signature Whiskey Del Bac Dorado. It’s an American single malt whiskey made using Scotch whisky-making methods, but smoked over a mesquite fire.
The distillery tour includes a guided tasting of Whiskey Del Bac’s regular selections, plus some limited releases and exclusives. There’s also a popular volunteer bottler program that lets you take home a free bottle of whiskey if you help out for a four-hour shift.
Best Distillery in Arkansas: Delta Dirt Distillery
430 Cherry St., Helena, Arkansas
The patriarch of the family that owns Delta Dirt was a sharecropper who farmed the original 86-acre parcel of land that’s now home to the distillery. In 1949, his son purchased the farm with proceeds from cotton and corn liquor moonshine. The family began distilling vodka using sweet potatoes in 2020 before opening the distillery in 2021.
Delta Dirt is the first Black-owned distillery in the U.S. Since its opening, the company has added gin, bourbon and whiskey to the lineup. You can take a tour to learn about how Delta Dirt turns sweet potatoes into award-winning spirits.
Best Distillery in California: Hinterhaus Distilling
925 Highway 4, Arnold, California
Tucked away 4,000 feet above sea level in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Hinterhaus Distilling is a family-owned distillery that crafts its spirits from fresh mountain water and other locally sourced ingredients. One of its standout bourbons is the Calaveras Cask Strength Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon, which is finished in local wine barrels.
Tours aren’t currently available. But you can visit its scenic alpine tasting room for a flight or cocktail.
Best Distillery in Colorado: Breckenridge Distillery
1925 Airport Road, Breckenridge, Colorado
Breckenridge Distillery’s claim to fame is that it’s the world’s highest distillery – as in, it’s located in the Rocky Mountains, where it sits at an elevation of 9,600 feet.
The distillery is known for its high-rye mash blended bourbons, though it also makes rum, vodka, gin and liqueurs. You can take a distillery tour, dine at the restaurant, or even try your hand at making whiskey at its Whiskey Blending Lab.
Best Distillery in Connecticut: Litchfield Distillery
569 Bantam Road, Litchfield, Connecticut
Located in the hills of northwestern Connecticut, Litchfield Distillery uses Connecticut-grown grains to craft its lineup of 18 different spirits. You’ll find several types of bourbon (including some flavored varieties, like coffee bourbon and vanilla bourbon), as well as rye whiskey.
Free tours and tastings are available at the top of every hour seven days a week.
Best Distillery in Delaware: Painted Stave Distillery
106 W. Commerce St., Smyrna, Delaware
Painted Stave Distillery’s main building was once a single-screen movie theater. Today, the property is home to not just the distillery, but also a cocktail bar, a barrelhouse for aging whiskey and an art gallery. Though its flagship products are vodkas and gins, there are several whiskies – including the Double TroubleD, which starts out as an imperial IPA, then gets distilled into whiskey.
The distillery offers tastings of its spirits, as well as a seasonal cocktail menu. If the weather is nice, you can sip your beverage of choice at the outdoor cocktail garden.
Best Distillery in Florida: St. Augustine Distillery
112 Riberia St., St. Augustine, Florida
The St. Augustine Distillery is located on the site of the city’s historic FP&L Ice Plant – the first place to make commercial block ice in Florida. More than a century later, the site made history again when the distillery released The Spirit of Florida, the first-ever Florida bourbon.
The distillery offers a self-guided tour, as well as a guided tour and tasting experience. You can also fill your own personalized bottle of cask-strength bourbon.
Best Distillery in Georgia: 13th Colony Distilleries
305 N. Dudley St., Americus, Georgia
The Peach State’s oldest operating distillery says the Southern Georgia temperature swings and humidity make for an ideal whiskey-aging climate. The signature spirits at 13th Colony Distilleries are the Southern Bourbon and Southern Rye Whiskey, which age for at least four years, though they’re ultimately aged to taste, not time.
You can learn more about the unique process of aging whiskey in Southern Georgia during a tour or guided tasting at 13th Colony Distilleries.
Best Distillery in Hawaii: Ko’olau Distillery
905 Kapaa Quarry Pl Building 50, Unit 14, Kailua, Hawaii
Founded by two Marine Corps combat veterans, Ko’olau is the only whiskey distillery on the island of Oahu. The distillery is named for the Ko’olau Mountains, which is the source of the water that’s used to craft its spirits.
Take a tour to learn about how the distillery’s signature Old Pali Road Whiskey is made. Tours conclude with a whiskey tasting.
Best Distillery in Idaho: Koenig Distillery
20928 Grape Lane, Caldwell, Idaho
Koenig Distillery got its start producing fruit brandies, a craft the owner brought to the Sunnyslope region of Idaho after spending three years in Austria. Though the family-run distillery still makes brandy, it’s better known for its whiskey and bourbons, including the Seven Devils Straight Bourbon Whiskey that’s aged for eight years.
The distillery offers seated tastings with samples of three spirits. You can also take a self-guided tour of the distillery and the Seven Devils Barrel House, where the whiskey ages.
Best Distillery in Illinois: Whiskey Acres
11504 Keslinger Road, DeKalb, Illinois
Everything that goes into the bottles at Whiskey Acres is grown on the property. Even the water comes from a limestone aquifer located underneath the fields. You’ll find several types of rye whiskey and bourbons here, including an artisan series with unique selections like Blue Popcorn Straight Bourbon Whiskey – yes, it’s really made from blue popcorn.
Take a tour to learn about Whiskey Acres’ seed-to-spirit process. The tour includes samples of three spirits and a souvenir shot glass.
Best Distillery in Indiana: Bear Wallow Distillery
4484 Old State Road 46, Nashville, Indiana
Bear Wallow Distillery gets its name from a part of Brown County, Indiana, with a long history of bootlegging. Legend has it that moonshiners hid from the law in Bear Wallow because there were so many bears that the sheriff didn’t dare pursue them. Today, Bear Wallow Distillery is one of the few woman-owned distilleries in the U.S. They produce handmade whiskies (and no other spirits), all from Indiana grains.
The distillery offers Farm-to-Fifth tours on Saturdays that include a history lesson about whiskey in the U.S. and a tasting flight. You can also visit for a whiskey tasting or cocktail.
Best Distillery in Iowa: Iowa Legendary Rye
707 N. Main St., Carroll, Iowa
It’s not the fanciest distillery on our list, but Iowa Legendary Rye makes our list for its bona fide bootlegging past: The owners’ grandmother was a bootlegger who started making her own 100% American rye whiskey back in 1932.
The owners still use Grandma’s distilling process and recipe. Legend has it that her Prohibition-era barrels are buried in the fields of Carroll County.
Best Distillery in Kansas: Union Horse Distillery
11740 W. 86th Terrace, Lenexa, Kansas
This small-batch distillery does everything from milling its grains to barreling and bottling its whiskies in-house. All spirits are distilled in a 500-gallon column pot still nicknamed Chester Copperpot. (Catch the “Goonies” reference?) It’s then aged in a 10,000-square-foot warehouse that isn’t climate controlled. Union Horse says the Midwest temperature fluctuations give the whiskey a bolder flavor.
The distillery has guided tours that end with a tasting in its Rider Room. It also frequently hosts tastings, dinners and other events.
Best Distillery in Kentucky: Maker’s Mark Distillery
Star Hill Farm, 3350 Burks Spring Road, Loretto, Kentucky
Choosing Kentucky’s best distillery is no easy task, but Maker’s Mark gets the top honor. Located on a picturesque farm, the distillery is a National Historic Landmark that boasts an impressive art collection, including works by Dale Chihuly, as well as local artists.
It’s the first distillery in Kentucky’s Bourbon County and, possibly, the largest distillery in the world. You can test your hand by hand-dipping a bottle in Maker’s Mark signature red wax.
Best Distillery in Louisiana: The Sazerac House
101 Magazine St., New Orleans, Louisiana
A visit to the Big Easy isn’t complete without a stop at The Sazerac House. The three-story building, which The Sazerac Co. purchased in 2016, houses a distillery on the first level. On the second and third floors, you’ll find exhibits dedicated to the craft of cocktails and New Orleans history. You won’t find a bar at The Sazerac House, but you can get limited complimentary samples.
Best Distillery in Maine: Wiggly Bridge Distillery
441 U.S. Route 1, York, Maine
The father and son owners of Wiggly Bridge Distillery built the copper stills for the distillery by hand. The distillery makes several types of spirits, including bourbons and white whiskey.
Distillery tours and tastings are available. You can also learn more about its spirits through a cocktail class or get a hands-on lesson about crafting whiskey through the Distiller for a Day experience.
Best Distillery in Maryland: Sagamore Spirit Distillery
301 E. Cromwell St., Baltimore, Maryland
Sagamore Spirit is a rye lover’s paradise, with eight rye whiskies currently available and more than 200 awards for its rye whiskies to its name. Each bottle is proofed with limestone-filtered water from the distillery’s Spring House, which was built in 1909.
The waterfront distillery is located in the Baltimore Peninsula neighborhood. Guided tours, tastings and cocktail classes are available. You can also have a drink at Nineteen O’Nine, the distillery’s whiskey bar.
Best Distillery in Massachusetts: Bully Boy Distillers
44 Cedric St., Boston, Massachusetts
Bully Boy Distillers is Boston’s first legal distillery since Prohibition. It’s owned by two brothers and is named after their grandfather’s favorite farming horse. The company grows and mills its own corn for its bourbons and also makes various other types of spirits.
The distillery has a cocktail bar and offers self-guided tours. The tour includes a spirits sampling, full-proof whiskey sample straight from a barrel and a complimentary branded glassware souvenir.
Best Distillery in Michigan: Journeyman Distillery
109 Generations Drive, Three Oaks, Michigan
Michigan’s best distillery is located in the historic Featherbone Factory. (Fun fact: Featherbone was an alternative to the whalebones traditionally used to craft corsets.)
Several tour options are available, but we like the sound of the Saturday Old-Fashioned tasting. You get five whiskey tastings, plus a full old-fashioned cocktail.
Best Distillery in Minnesota: Brother Justus Whiskey
3300 Fifth St. NE, Suite B, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Brother Justus was a bootlegging monk who taught 1,600 Minnesota farming families how to safely make whiskey using copper stills during Prohibition. The type of whiskey became known as Minnesota 13. The Minneapolis distillery that bears his name is best known for its American single malt whiskey, which is aged in what they’ve trademarked as the “world’s coldest oak.”
Take a tour to get a glimpse of the 1,000-gallon still and bottling line. The tour ends with samples of three Brother Justus’ signature whiskies.
Best Distillery in Mississippi: Cathead Distillery
422 S. Farish St., Jackson, Mississippi
Cathead Distillery is a Jackson hotspot for blues music, hosting several popular music festivals throughout the year. The name “Cathead” was a term Mississippi blues musicians used as a show of respect for fellow artists.
Founded in 2010, it’s Mississippi’s oldest distillery and the first to open in the Magnolia State post-Prohibition. (Mississippi didn’t end its prohibition until 1966.) Cathead produces eight small-batch spirits, including bourbon, vodka and gin. Public and private tours are available.
Best Distillery in Missouri: The Holladay Distillery
One McCormick Lane, Weston, Missouri
The Holladay Distillery was founded in 1856, making it Missouri’s oldest distillery. It’s named for “Stagecoach King” Ben Holladay, who ran the stagecoach line from the Show-Me State to the West Coast that became the Wells Fargo Express. Though distilling techniques have changed since then, they still use the same bourbon recipe that’s now over 160 years old.
Best Distillery in Montana: Wildrye Distilling
111 E. Oak St., Suite 1E, Bozeman, Montana
This craft distillery takes inspiration from Montana’s frontier, using everything from Montana sweet corn and barley to sugar beets, juniper berries, Flathead cherries, apples and honey to make its spirits. Its signature Five Drops Bourbon is made with family-grown Montana sweet corn and barley. The distillery has a tasting room that frequently hosts events.
Best Distillery in Nebraska: Lazy RW Distillery
511 S. Ash St., Moorefield, Nebraska
Lazy RW Distillery is owned by a father and son. They were inspired by a great uncle’s journals from the Prohibition days, when he operated a still on the Niobrara River. Its three featured whiskeys were crafted from their uncle’s notes and are made with Nebraska grains.
The distillery is open by appointment only. If you join its Lazy RW Whiskey Runners Club, you’ll get access to exclusive events and tastings.
Best Distillery in Nevada: The Underground
300 Stewart Ave., Las Vegas, Nevada
This Prohibition-style speakeasy and distillery is located underneath The Mob Museum in Las Vegas. The museum tells the story of the bootleggers and rum runners of the era, along with the law enforcement agents who tried to stop them. You can sample moonshine from the exhibit’s working still.
Best Distillery in New Hampshire: Tamworth Distillery
15 Cleveland Hill Road, Tamworth, New Hampshire
Tamworth Distillery is renowned for its creative approach to crafting spirits using regional ingredients. Notable selections include its Spruce & Goose Whiskey (made with handpicked white spruce and a locally roasted goose), Deerslayer Venison Whiskey (made from local red deer venison) and its Crab Trapper Whiskey (made from crab, corn and spices, kind of like a crab boil). The distillery has a tasting room, test kitchen and store.
Best Distillery in New Jersey: All Points West Distillery
73 Tichenor St., Newark, New Jersey
All Points West Distillery is known for reviving historic whiskey recipes dating back to the 19th century. One of its most acclaimed releases is the All Points West MALT and Grain Pot Still Whiskey, which is distilled from Irish and German malts, corn and water from the Appalachian Mountains.
The distillery offers tours on Saturdays and some Sundays. The tour includes a welcome cocktail and tasting flight of four spirits.
Best Distillery in New Mexico: Santa Fe Spirits
7505 Mallard Way, Unit 1, Santa Fe, New Mexico
This micro-distillery sits at a 7,000-foot altitude in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Its signature spirit is the Mesquite Smoked American Single Malt Whiskey, available in six expressions.
Tours start at the distillery and include a stop in the barrel room. They end with a guided spirit tasting. If you visit, be sure to say “hi” to Mesquite, the resident distillery cat.
Best Distillery in New York: Great Jones Distilling Co.
686 Broadway, New York, New York
When Great Jones Distilling Co. opened in 2021, it became Manhattan’s first legal distillery since Prohibition. The company produces several whiskies and bourbons made with locally sourced ingredients. Its latest release is the Great Jones Straight Bourbon, which is finished in Wölffer Estate’s Cabernet Franc Barrique wine barrels for over a year, then cut with Catskill Mountain water.
Distillery tours with whiskey tastings are available. There’s also Prohibition happy hour during the week and Sunday jazz brunch.
Best Distillery in North Carolina: Oaklore Distilling
11136 Monroe Road, Matthews, North Carolina
Oaklore Distilling was founded by two neighbors who bonded over their passion for whiskey while walking their kids to the bus stop. So it’s not surprising that this place is all about community. It hosts regular events and live music and partners with local charities through its Oaklore Angel Barrel Program.
Its signature product is the Four Grain Bourbon, which ages for four to six years. The distillery is known for its friendly neighborhood vibe. There’s a tasting room, as well as an outdoor patio with a fire pit.
Best Distillery in North Dakota: Proof Artisan Distillers
414 Fourth Ave. N., Fargo, North Dakota
Located in the old Fargo Municipal Courthouse, the centerpiece of the place is known as “The Judge.” It’s a 25-foot-tall copper still located in the old judges’ chambers.
Proof Artisan Distillers is a hotspot in downtown Fargo for live music and comedy shows. Check out the Glen Fargo Malt Whiskey, which is North Dakota’s first single-malt whiskey produced since Prohibition, or its Crooked Furrow, a small-batch bourbon that’s conditioned to bottle strength while it’s still in the barrel.
Best Distillery in Ohio: Indian Creek Distillery
7095 Staley Road, New Carlisle, Ohio
The Indian Creek Distillery was originally home to the Staley Distillery, which was used for whiskey production as far back as 1820. Eventually, Prohibition put an end to that. But 92 years and five generations later, the original owner’s descendants revived the concept.
Indian Creek Distillery pays tribute to the family’s rich whiskey-making history with selections like Elias Staley White Rye Whiskey, which uses a 200-year-old mash bill recipe, and 1820 Bourbon, a nod to the year the original distillery was founded. Several tour and tasting options are available.
Best Distillery in Oklahoma: Hochatown Distilling Co.
41 N. Lukfata Trail Road, Broken Bow, Oklahoma
Hochatown Distilling Co. was founded in 2015 in southeastern Oklahoma, where there’s a long tradition of making moonshine. The distillery mostly makes small-batch bourbons, including Oklahoma’s only Bottled in Bond bourbon, though it also produces vodka.
In the gift shop, you’ll find the entrance to the Hochatown Speakeasy. Distillery tours with tastings are available.
Best Distillery in Oregon: Hideaway Distillery
4120 S. Santiam Highway, Lebanon, Oregon
The owner of Hideaway Distillery made moonshine as a teen, and later, for his Army buddies before his platoon sergeant confiscated his still. Thirty-one years later, after a career with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, he opened Hideaway Distillery.
There are three whiskies in its lineup, including the Hideaway Unapologetic American Whiskey, which is unusual in that it features a soft white wheat in the mash bill. If you visit the tasting room, you’ll get a complimentary tour and tasting.
Best Distillery in Pennsylvania: Liberty Pole Spirits
800 Adios Drive, Washington, Pennsylvania
This family-owned distillery is best known for its Monongahela Rye that comes from Pennsylvania’s Monongahela River Valley. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Alexander Hamilton’s attempt to tax Monongahela whiskey triggered the Whiskey Rebellion. Liberty Pole Spirits’ Meetinghouse is modeled after an 18th century roadhouse, complete with a stone fireplace and wooden tavern tables.
Best Distillery in Rhode Island: Sons of Liberty
1425 Kingstown Road, South Kingstown, Rhode Island
If you have a soft spot for both whiskey and beer, check out Sons of Liberty’s American single malt whiskies, which are crafted using various beers. The whiskey lineup also features bourbons and several flavored options, like coffee-flavored whiskey and caramel-flavored whiskey. The distillery has a tasting room, along with regular live music and game nights.
Best Distillery in South Carolina: Firefly Distillery
4201 Spruill Ave., North Charleston, South Carolina
Though it’s best known for its Sweet Tea Vodka, Firefly Distillery also makes Sweet Tea Whiskey, Bourbon Ball (a chocolate pecan-flavored whiskey) and a wide selection of flavored moonshines. It may not appeal to whiskey purists, but it’s a family-friendly spot where kids and dogs are welcome. You’ll also find frequent concerts and events.
Best Distillery in South Dakota: Badlands Distillery
425 South Dakota Highway 73, Kadoka, South Dakota
The Mount Rushmore State doesn’t have a whole lot of whiskey distilleries that are open to the public. However, Badlands Distillery produces several types of small-batch bourbons using corn grown on its family ranch, as well as several types of specialized spirits.
The tasting room serves Badlands spirits, along with South Dakotan and domestic beers and wines, plus there’s a full coffee bar. Bring your pup if you’d like, because the place is dog-friendly.
Best Distillery in Tennessee: Jack Daniel’s Distillery
280 Lynchburg Highway, Lynchburg, Tennessee
Surely the godfather of Tennessee whiskey needs no introduction. But one thing that may surprise you is that the Jack Daniel’s Distillery’s location in Lynchburg, Tennessee, is in the middle of a dry county.
There’s no bar on the property due to state laws, but you’re allowed to taste Jack Daniel’s samples during tours. You can also buy a bottle to take home for “commemorative” purposes – and, yes, the bottle just happens to be filled with whiskey. The distillery often has some hard-to-find selections, like the Single Barrel Select, available for purchase.
Best Distillery in Texas: Garrison Brothers Distillery
1827 Hye-Albert Road, Hye, Texas
Most other distilleries make a variety of spirits, but Garrison Brothers sticks exclusively to bourbon. Each expression is crafted from a sweet mash bill, purified rainwater and local grains, then aged in custom barrels designed to endure the scorching Texas heat.
One claim to fame is that it’s the first distillery outside of Kentucky to make authentic bourbon. You can take a tour, eat and drink at the distillery’s Whiskey Shack, or do a shift as a volunteer bottler and get paid in bourbon and food.
Best Distillery in Utah: Dented Brick Distillery
3100 S. Washington St., South Salt Lake, Utah
At Dented Brick Distillery, they say this year’s snow is next year’s whiskey. Snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains flows into the artesian well on the Salt Lake City property, creating a pure foundation for all the distillery’s spirits.
You’ll find whiskey, vodka, gin, rum and tequila at Dented Brick. You can even buy a barrel, visit it as it ages, and get your money back plus interest once the aging process is complete.
Best Distillery in Vermont: Mad River Distillery
56 Cold Spring Farm Road, Warren, Vermont
Mad River Distillery ferments, distills and bottles all of its spirits in Vermont’s Mad River Valley, with a focus on sustainable practices. It specializes in whiskies, apple brandy and what it calls “whiskey drinker’s rum” because, like whiskey, they’re aged in oak barrels. The whiskey mash bills feature several unusual grains, like oats, chocolate rye and maplewood smoked barley.
Distillery tours and tastings are available by appointment. Mad River also has tasting rooms in Burlington and Waitsfield.
Best Distillery in Virginia: George Washington’s Mount Vernon
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, Virginia
George Washington wasn’t just America’s first president. He was also one of the largest whiskey distillers in the U.S.
Today, his Mount Vernon Estate is operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. If you visit, you can stop by the reconstructed, fully functioning George Washington Distillery and Gristmill. You can also buy bottles of George Washington’s Whiskey and other spirits. Distillery tours are available Saturdays and Sundays in May through October. Whiskey tastings are available Saturdays in May, June and September.
Best Distillery in Washington: Heritage Distilling Co.
3118 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, Washington
Heritage Distilling Co. has racked up more awards from the American Distilling Institute than any other craft distillery in North America. Founded by a group of friends, the distillery’s whiskey offerings include Special Operations Salute Whiskey, 1st Special Forces Group Whiskey and Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey.
The company has five tasting rooms throughout Washington and Oregon, but the original location is a waterfront spot in Gig Harbor, Washington. There, you’ll find spirit flights, cocktails and a seafood menu. You can also create your own unique spirits by joining the distillery’s Cask Club.
Best Distillery in West Virginia: Hatfield & McCoy Moonshine
297 James Ave., Gilbert, West Virginia
This micro-distillery operates on original Hatfield land. The original moonshine recipe came straight from Devil Anse Hatfield himself – the great-great-great grandfather of the owner’s wife.
The signature moonshine is a white corn whiskey crafted with 100% West Virginia corn. It’s produced in small, handcrafted batches six days a week – every day but Sunday. You can take a tour or have a drink at the restaurant and bar.
Best Distillery in Wisconsin: J. Henry & Sons
7794 Patton Road, Dane, Wisconsin
J. Henry & Sons is a family-run distillery just outside of Madison that primarily produces bourbon. The red corn, wheat and rye used to craft spirits is grown on the family farm. The bourbon is then slow-aged in large barrels in a barn on the family farmstead.
Tours are available four days a week. They include a bourbon production tour, bourbon nosing and tasting, and a cocktail hour.
Best Distillery in Wyoming: Wyoming Whiskey
120 E. Main St., Kirby, Wyoming
Wyoming Whiskey sources its grains locally and gets its water from a glacier. The whiskey ages for at least five years. The extreme highs and lows of the Cowboy State’s weathers (temperatures drop as low as 66 degrees and climb as high as 116 degrees) give Wyoming Whiskeys their distinctive taste.
Located in the tiny town of Kirby, Wyoming (population: 76), Wyoming Whiskey doesn’t offer organized tours at its distillery. But if you visit, staff will happily guide you through a tasting.