Albuquerque is a vibrant city in New Mexico known for its exciting history and rich culture spanning architecture, artwork, and cuisine. Recently, the city has emerged as a leading New Mexico craft spirit scene featuring some of the country’s best distilleries and tasting rooms.

Beyond the allure of the spirits themselves, a distillery tour to Albuquerque offers enthusiasts a chance to sample a distillery’s wares on-site and learn the craft of distilling first-hand. We explore the key things to know about the New Mexico craft spirit scene to make your time in Albuquerque truly unforgettable.

New Mexico Craft Spirit Scene – What Albuquerque Provides

For a long time, New Mexico and Albuquerque have been famous for producing great spirits and beers. The New Mexico craft spirit scene sets itself apart with an incredibly knowledgeable staff, a compelling atmosphere, and an irresistible selection of craft spirits.

Here are the best places to visit in your Albuquerque distillery tour:

1. Left Turn Distilling 

This is the oldest liquor manufacturer in Albuquerque. Due to its high-quality products, the distillery has won many awards. This makes it the perfect venue to visit for your distillery tour.

Left Turn Distilling produces handcrafted and unique spirits using the best-of-breed technologies. Founder Brian Langwell pays special attention to every step of manufacturing the spirits in this distillery. And this is a major reason this distillery produces unique spirits.

The distillery has a taproom and a kitchen, allowing you to sample great whiskeys and craft cocktails to go with your meats. It applies locally sourced ingredients to make its spirits, boosting the authenticity of its products.

A must-try spirit at Left Turn Distilling is Blue Corn Whiskey. It’s a traditional cocktail manufactured from locally sourced corn.

2. Taylor Garret Spirits

Taylor Garret Spirits uses a sustainable and naturally fast-tracked procedure to produce quickly maturing whiskeys. The innovative aging technique the company uses is all-natural and avoids using chemicals or flavorings. The result is a spirit that develops quickly, is delicious, and exotic. 

Taylor Garret Spirits is located at 315 Alameda Blvd NE, Albuquerque. Their tasting rooms are open from Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

3. Hollow Spirits Distillery

Hollow Spirits Distillery is located at 1324 1st NW, Albuquerque. It entered the market in 2018 and has been providing high-quality handcrafted whiskeys. Whether you love a stiff drink, whiskey, or wine, you’ll get something to sample. The distillery offers occasional custom cocktails that you can sample to enrich your experience.

One of the best cocktails to taste while at this distillery is the Lavender Moon. This cocktail combines with lavender vodka, which derives its ingredients locally.

4. Broken Trail Spirits & Bar

With its locally sourced ingredients, Broken Trail Spirits & Bar produces exceptional spirits and beers. Get to their taproom and sample any of their drinks, including Agave Sunrise, Campfire Toddy, and Downpour. You can also taste their artisanal whiskeys, featuring rum, gin, and vodka.

5. Albuquerque Distilling 

Two friends (Nick and Roger) who lived in Duke City developed the business idea of Albuquerque Distilling. In 2019, they opened Albuquerque Distilling to realize their dream. Their love for spirits enabled them to create unique whiskeys, vodka, and Moonshine. The distillery has a friendly tasting place where individuals can sample the company’s handmade hooch and unique cocktails. Their craft cocktails are diverse, unique, and delicious.

Albuquerque Distilling is located at 5001 Central Ave NE, Suite A5, Albuquerque, NM. You can visit the distillery any time to sample your favorite drinks and cocktails.

6. Algodones Distillery 

Algodones Distillery is a business founded on the idea that the application of art and craft results in something unique that elevates humanity. In line with this concept, the distillery produces handcrafted spirits that reflect the location. The company uses local ingredients to manufacture authentic spirits celebrating New Mexico’s rich culture. You can find the company’s products in their tasting rooms, located in Algodones and Ruidoso.

A distillery tour of this company can help you learn how their spirits are made and sample their products. The company allows tours on Saturdays. For the best experience, requesting the tour via email is advisable.

7. La Reforma Brewery

A visit to La Reforma Brewery should be at the top of your list. Guests can sample handmade beers and savor traditional cuisines like tacos and tortas. The combination of Mexican cuisine and handcrafted spirits creates an authentic local atmosphere. When you visit the distillery, you can sample unique craft moonshine and barrel-aged cocktails, including El Tri, Reforma-Rita, and Diana the Huntress.

Frequently Asked Questions About Albuquerque Craft Distillery Scene

What are the prevalent drinks across Albuquerque distilleries?

Although distilleries in this city focus on producing specific drinks, many taprooms provide bourbon, brandy, and vodka. Vodka and gin come in multiple flavors and cocktails. Most ingredients are locally sourced, so you’ll encounter a few drinks with spicy snap. You’ll also have a chance to taste other beverages with different flavors.

What is the most convenient means of transport when visiting Albuquerque distilleries? 

If you intend to visit distilleries in Albuquerque and sample their offerings, public transportation is the most convenient. While driving yourself can be the best way to move around, you might save time if you know the city well. There are also many other ways to move around, including taxis and Lyft.

Which is the most famous distillery in Albuquerque?

The most popular distillery in this city is Left Turn Distilling. This distillery produces exceptional gin popular in the city. When planning your tour, including this distillery on your schedule is essential. You can also tour other distilleries in the city, including Taylor Garret Spirits, Hollow Spirits Distillery, and Albuquerque Distilling.

Sip, Savor, and Indulge in Albuquerque

The New Mexico craft spirit scene is bubbling with great distilleries and rich cultural traditions. Throw in cocktail classes, grain-to-glass tours, and delicious Mexican cuisines, and you’ve got the perfect afternoon and evening in Albuquerque.

Visit DistilleryNearby to discover the best craft distilleries in the US, learn more about your favorite craft cocktails, or check out some of the other distillery tours near you.