We get asked about Vermont distillers a lot. Where can you try local spirits? Are there any good distillery tours nearby? Is it worth building a whole afternoon around it?
Vermont’s craft spirits scene is smaller than its brewery scene, but it’s grown significantly over the past decade. What started with a handful of distillers making small-batch whiskey and gin has expanded into a network of tasting rooms, farm distilleries, and award-winning spirits producers across the state.
If you’re staying at our Mad River Valley Lodging and want to explore distillery tours or tasting experiences, here’s where to go and what to expect.
Mad River Distillers: Warren and Waitsfield
Mad River Distillers is the closest distillery to our lodges, and for most guests, it’s the easiest and best place to start.
The team ferments, distills, and bottles everything from scratch. Their lineup includes bourbon (Burnt Rock Bourbon is named after a local hiking trail), rye whiskey, several rums made from demerara sugar instead of molasses, and an apple brandy that nods to the farm’s history. They source non-GMO and fair trade grains regionally, use local fruit, and age spirits in new oak barrels. Everything from mashing to bottling happens right here in Vermont.
Waitsfield Tasting Room
89 Mad River Green
The Waitsfield tasting room is inside 5th Quarter Butcher + Provisions. You can sample spirits and buy bottles without a reservation. Even if you don’t know much about whiskey or rum, the staff are happy to guide you through a tasting flight, explain the differences between spirits, or recommend bottles based on what you already like.
If you happen to be in town during the Waitsfield Farmers Market season, you’ll often find Mad River Distillers there as well, pouring samples alongside local food vendors, farms, and artisans.
Warren Distillery Tours
If you want to see where the actual distilling happens, distillery tours run at the Warren location by appointment only. Tours happen at 1 pm Tuesday through Friday and 3 pm on Saturdays and last about 45-60 minutes, including samples.
You’ll see the copper still, learn about the mashing and fermenting process, and understand what makes their approach different. Book ahead because they can’t usually accommodate same-day requests.
Central Vermont Distilleries
Barr Hill (Caledonia Spirits) – Montpelier
About 45 minutes from the Mad River Valley, Barr Hill by Caledonia Spirits in Montpelier makes America’s most awarded gin. Their signature Barr Hill Gin uses raw honey from Vermont bees, which gives it a distinctive floral character that sets it apart from traditional juniper-forward gins.
The Montpelier location offers tours and tasting classes as well as a seasonal cocktail and food menu, recognized by James Beard as one of the finest in the country.
Caledonia Spirits also produces Phyllis Whiskey, a Vermont whiskey made with local grains. You can taste both Barr Hill Gin and Phyllis at the distillery.
Split Spirits – Middlebury
88 Mainelli Rd, Ste 1, Middlebury
Located about 45 minutes south of the Mad River Valley, Split Spirits is America’s first Climate Neutral Certified distillery, focusing on small-batch vodka, gin, whiskey, and ready-to-drink canned cocktails made with Vermont ingredients whenever possible. The tasting room feels more relaxed and modern than a traditional distillery tour stop, with cocktails, flights, and seasonal specials that make it easy to linger for a while instead of simply tasting and leaving.
Their spirits lean clean and approachable rather than overly experimental, making this a good stop even for guests who don’t usually consider themselves “whiskey people.” If you’re heading toward Middlebury for the day, pair your visit with lunch from Noonie’s Deli, shopping downtown, or a drive through the Champlain Valley.
Worth the Drive
WhistlePig – Shoreham
WhistlePig is probably Vermont’s most nationally recognized whiskey producer, especially among rye whiskey fans. The farm is expansive, polished, and built around whiskey tourism on a larger scale. If Mad River Distillers feels intimate and local, WhistlePig feels more like a destination experience. It’s better suited for a slower half-day outing rather than a quick tasting stop.
That said, the setting is beautiful, especially in fall, and the whiskey experiences are well done if you’re interested in rye production and barrel aging.
Boyden Valley Winery & Spirits – Cambridge
Boyden Valley is a farm winery and distillery in Cambridge, about 40 to 50 miles from the Mad River Valley (roughly an hour drive). They make grape-based spirits, apple brandy, and ice wines alongside their wine production.
Smugglers’ Notch Distillery – Jeffersonville
Smugglers’ Notch Distillery began in Jeffersonville, where the original distillery still operates near the entrance to Smugglers’ Notch pass. They produce vodka, gin, bourbon, rye, rum, and maple cream liqueurs, along with barrel-aged maple syrup that has become one of their signature Vermont products.
While the distillery itself is farther from the Mad River Valley, most guests visit one of their closer tasting rooms instead. The Waterbury Barrel House is the nearest and makes an easy stop if you’re driving Route 100. They also have tasting rooms in downtown Stowe and on Church Street in Burlington.
What to Know Before You Go
Tasting Room vs Distillery Tour
A tasting room is a retail space where you sample and buy spirits. You can usually walk in without a reservation.
A distillery tour takes you through the production facility. You see the stills, learn about the process, and understand how spirits are made. These almost always require advance reservations.
Some places offer both options at the same location. Others separate them entirely. If you’re mainly interested in trying different Vermont spirits, tasting rooms are usually enough. If you enjoy the craft and process behind whiskey, rum, or gin, book at least one proper distillery tour during your trip.
Make Sure to Have a Designated Driver
If you want to visit multiple Vermont distillers in one day without worrying about who’s driving, Savor Vermont Tours offers guided experiences in the Mad River Valley and beyond.
They run scheduled brewery and spirits tours, but they also do custom tours where you pick the distilleries you want to visit. If you’re planning a bachelor or bachelorette party, they handle those, too. Transportation, planning, and a knowledgeable guide are included.
If you’re doing this on your own without a tour company, plan who will be driving before you leave or arrange for a taxi or rideshare service. Vermont distillers are spread out, so you’ll be doing real driving between locations. Tasting room visits involve smaller pours than bar drinks, but they add up over multiple stops.
Can You Buy Bottles?
Every distillery has a retail component where you can buy bottles to take home. Most can ship within Vermont. Out-of-state shipping rules vary by state due to liquor laws.
If you’re flying home, pack bottles carefully in checked luggage. TSA allows alcohol in checked bags (not carry-on) as long as it’s under 70% ABV, which covers everything except overproof spirits.
Where to Stay While Exploring Vermont Distillers
Our lodges in the Mad River Valley put you close to Mad River Distillers and within 20 to 30 minutes of Barr Hill and other central Vermont options. After a day of tastings, having a place to relax beats a long drive home. You can take your time at each distillery, enjoy the full experience, and return to a comfortable room without watching the clock or cutting visits short. No rush, no stress about the drive back.
Plan Your Vermont Distillery Experience
Plan Your Vermont Distillery ExperienceWhether you want to spend an afternoon tasting local whiskey, tour a working distillery, or build a full craft beverage weekend around breweries and spirits, the Mad River Valley gives you a good starting point without needing to crisscross the entire state.
Book your stay at Mad River Lodges, and we’ll help you figure out which distilleries make sense for your timeframe and interests. Whether you want to focus on Mad River Distillers, create a multi-stop tour, or combine distillery visits with Vermont craft breweries, we can point you in the right direction.