Think of New England and red barns and covered bridges may come to mind. The region is also known for liquid comforts, from maple syrup to apple cider, even micro-brewed beer. Now a handful of boutique distillers are infusing more spirit into the mix, and the region is emerging as one of the country's best destinations for sampling artisan vodkas.
New England's micro-distillers are producing crisp, clean premium vodkas that put an 80 proof spin on traditional local flavors. Take Vermont Spirits vodka, made from pure maple syrup, or General John Stark vodka, produced in New Hampshire from local apples. Cold River vodka from Maine is made with that state's cash crop - Maine potatoes.
These boutique distilleries have opened only recently, most in the last five years, with some distillers coming into the business following the micro-brew boom of the 1990s and others stumbling into it by way of agricultural experimentation.
Duncan Holaday, who produces a wood-fire distilled, charcoal-filtered "ultra premium" vodka from 100% maple sap under the Vermont Spirits label, said his distillery represents "the working landscape."
"We were trying to figure out how to live on our land in Vermont. It has maple trees and fresh spring water, and so we figured we could make vodka," he explains. He built a post and beam distillery out of local pine, then began producing one of New England's earliest premium vodkas back in 2001.
New England's newest vodka producer, Maine Distilleries, got its start with a similar philosophy. The idea for its Cold River vodka originated with brothers Lee and Donnie Thibodeau, who grew up in the heart of Maine's potato country. Now, the potatoes harvested at Donnie Thibodeau's Green Thumb Farms are used for making Cold River Vodka.
"Our angle on all of this was to utilize something that has a legacy here in the state - and that's the good old Maine potato - and, in doing so, save a local farm," says Maine Distilleries CEO Bob Harkins.
Cold River: Maine Distilleries is one of only two potato distilleries in the U.S. Its Cold River vodka, launched in November and named after a river in Western Maine, is produced in small batches and triple distilled. Located in Freeport - the home of L.L. Bean - Maine Distilleries' production gallery and retail shop are open to the public (coldrivervodka.com, 207-865-4828, 437 U.S. Route One, Freeport, ME).
General John Stark: Produced at the Flag Hill Distillery & Winery in Lee, New Hampshire, this vodka is made with local apples that are pressed into cider, which is then fermented and triple-distilled in Flag Hill's hand crafted German Christian Carl still. The vodka is named for the local legend who wrote what became the state motto, "Live free or Die," in 1809. The distillery is open for visits and tastings (www.flaghill.com, 603-659-2949, 297 North River Rd Lee, N.H.).
Sunshine Vodka: This organic vodka by Green Mountain Distillers is produced in Stowe, Vermont using organic corn and Vermont spring water. The distillery is owned by two former brewers, Tim Danahy and Howie Faircloth, and is open to visitors. Sunshine is the house vodka at The Slanted Door restaurant in San Francisco and is on the shelf at the Four Seasons (802-253-0064, 192 Thomas Lane, Stowe, VT).
Triple Eight: Made on Nantucket Island at the Triple Eight Distillery by the makers of Cisco beer, Triple Eight is distilled using organic corn and water from Nantucket well No. 888. Triple Eight orange vodka zings with the flavor of fresh honeybells, and a cranberry version is produced with berries from the Nantucket Conservation Foundation's cranberry bogs. Triple Eight is open for visits and tastings (ciscobrewers.com/distillery/, 508-325-5929, 5 & 7 Bartlett Farm Rd, Nantucket, MA).
Vermont Spirits: Located in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, Duncan's Spirits produces vodkas under the Vermont Spirits label. Gold, made from maple sap, is triple distilled and lightly filtered to allow for the distinctive character of the maple fermentation. White, inspired by a Tuvan milk vodka, is made from pure milk sugar and spring water, and Blue is a crystal clear vodka made with sugar cane. Vermont Spirits is not open to the public (www.vermontspirits.com, 802-748-6545, P.O. Box 150, Passumpsic, VT).