Live free. New Hampshire’s state motto could serve as its craft distillery scene motto. You will find vibrancy, passion, and excellent spirits among the best distilleries but very little conformity. Going ice fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee in the Lake Region? You will want a robust rum, perhaps from a small-scale New Hampshire distillery. Or maybe you are finally going to hike Mount Tammany? Perhaps a shot of cold vodka while you take in the famed Delaware Gap? Whatever you do in New Hampshire, from kicking back at your outdoor fireplace to snowmobiling on the Cotton Valley Rail Trail, this ultimate guide to spirits and distilleries will not disappoint you. 

Haunting Whisper Vineyards and Spirits

Danbury is about 35 miles west of New Hampshire’s capital, Concord. The family-owned Haunting Whisper Vineyards and Spirits offers one of the best distillery tours in the state, partly because of its incredible property. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the 75 acres of pastoral land with splendid views of mountains and lakes after watching the distillers make spirits like their 60-proof Limoncello or 80-proof Straight Bourbon. 

Haunting Whisper brings a few stand-out products to the New Hampshire distilling scene. 

Additionally, Misty Bog is a dessert liqueur blending cranberries with New Hampshire apple brandy creating a delicious, sweet tartness. Hippie Hill Hootch is 100-proof moonshine made with corn, rye, and barley. (This is all that needs to be said.) Sugar Maple rum rounds out these recommendations. This is New Hampshire, after all, and this rum is blended with the state’s sweet maple syrup. 

Copper Cannon Distillery

To Cheshire County now, specifically West Chesterfield, home to 513 acres named Madame Sherri Forest and some of the best craft spirits in New Hampshire. The Copper Cannon may be the only Distillery in the craft distillery scene in this state with an official distillery dog. His name, of course, is Cannon. 

We are interested in the spirits, and cousins Blake Amacker and Chris Arnold deliver some of the best craft spirits in New Hampshire. Moreover, Blake and Chris spent six years researching and learning about the craft distillery scene in New Hampshire and Brazil. The work paid off handsomely. The Copper Cannon won the Distillery of the Year Award New York Spirits Competition of 2019. And its aged rum took gold at the Las Vegas Global Spirits Award in 2020. 

You can book a tour for a party of one for a mere 10 dollars. (What?!) 

Live Free Distillery

An ultimate guide to the best distilleries in New Hampshire must include the Distillery, which has the state’s motto as its name. Live Free Distillery has an alluring quirkiness. And its owner André Marcoux began his craft distillery journey in New Hampshire by building a still under his deck using a turkey fryer – naturally. 

André has come a long way, producing two kinds of moonshine – apple pie and lemonade – that may have you smacking your lips. Mountain Top vodka is as smooth as Lake Umbagog in August, perhaps because it is distilled three times. If you want to be adventurous, try the Dill Pickle Vodka. Andre suggests you use this vodka for pickleback shots – when you follow a shot of a spirit with a dill pickle juice. Whew. 

I can assure you that this is the only Distillery in this ultimate guide offering Dill Pickle Vodka, which makes this one of the best distillery tours in the state.  

Cathedral Ledge Distillery

The Cathedral Ledge Distillery must own the most beautiful space in the craft distillery scene in New Hampshire. The Distillery was built like a large barn; when you look up, you get lost in the simple beauty of artfully arranged wood beams. 

Cathedral Ledge makes organic spirits like gin, bourbon, and whiskey. And my oh my, they are delicious. For example, there is fig-flavored vodka, made from organic Black Mission and Turkish figs, perfect in a martini. Horseradish vodka is on offer and recommended for your go-to Bloody Mary recipe. The barrel-rested gin is to be noticed, with its hint of Hawthorn berry.

Tamworth Distilling

Tamworth is a small town that looks up at the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Tamworth Distilling takes the word “local” seriously, growing its herbs, foraging for botanicals in the woods nearby, and sourcing fruits and grains from farms in the area. Does their passion for making spirits from scratch pay off in taste? Well, yes, it does.

The Mellow Fellow Straight Corn Whisky is a homage to writer, philosopher, and naturalist Henry David Thoreau. We think he’d be pleased with the notes of sweet corn that permeate this easy-to-drink whiskey. 

Dunce Whiskey is not named for the unfortunate pointy hat that wayward students once wore in American schools but for Jon Dunce Scotus, a thirteenth-century philosopher. The taste is the thing, and this whisky tastes deliciously of oak and butterscotch. 

Tamworth Distilling is the most literary of all in the craft distillery scene in New Hampshire, but you needn’t be a voracious reader to get deep into their products. 

Steadfast Spirits Distilling Co.

We must sneak Steadfast Spirits Distilling Co. into this ultimate guide to the best distilleries in New Hampshire. Why? They make moonshine and put it in small bottles with images of raccoons on the labels. 

Seriously, this is top-notch shine. Moreover, there are peppermint, maple, honey, vanilla, and autumn pies. Steadfast is also known for its creative cocktails like Peach Cobbler Moonshine, Cherry Pie Moonshine, and Strawberry Smash Moonshine. 

Frequently Asked Questions About New Hampshire Distillery Adventures

I want to read some customer reviews of these spirits. I am on a budget! Can you recommend a space where I can do so?

Please follow the links we have provided to the individual distilleries, as many offer customer reviews by locals and travelers. Furthermore, you can always rely on Distillery Nearby to locate craft spirit festivals

I am planning a New Hampshire trip and would like to read a local magazine. Can you recommend one?

Absolutely. New Hampshire Magazine covers almost everything about the state – from people to places to culture. 

I read that Tamworth is a place where artists and writers live and work. Can you point me to some information about this?

Why not check out the Tamworth Regional Gallery on YouTube? You will get a sense of the local art scene and information to follow up. 

Head to Distillery Nearby to learn about craft distilleries, craft breweries, and boutique wineries in other northeastern states and anywhere you may find yourself traveling.