Smugglers’ Notch Distillery

This place is very small from the outside.
Once you walk in there is one bar and a person behind it.
I believe that they have about 5 – 7 liquors for the tasting.
There is a small tasting fee of about $ 3 or $ 4 per person which is worth the number of tastings that you actually get.
I found the liquor to be well made and all liquor-​like. I should note that I am not a fan of drinking liquor straight so I made an immediate grab for the cans of root beer that they also sell. For the record– the root beer went well with the gin. ;-)

We were excited to stop in and try Smuggler’s Notch distillery’s liquors. Unfortunately the customer service was sub-​par. We purchased a tasting and the young man serving us didn’t provide any information about the distillery, the brand, or the liquor. I wanted to try their whisky offerings so purchased a tasting. I tried one pour which tasted brassy to me so I did not finish it. I placed the unfinished sample on the table. The server asked how I liked it. I indicated that I didn’t love it. I asked to sample the bourbon whisky next expecting him to give me a new plastic sample cup or at least dump what was in it. Instead he mixed the two liquors. When I asked him if he realized he had mixed them he said, ‘yep’. Hmm — interesting customer service tactic. Bummer since I am a whisky enthusiast and was hoping to have an excuse to purchase a bottle from someone new. Needless to say I chose not to part with my money.

Great stuff out of this local distillery. I had some of their rum at the bar at Hearth and Candle which turned me onto them. I’m not usually a hard booze guy, but this is top notch stuff.
I stopped in today to grab a bottle of rum and also ended up trying the vodka which went down clean and smooth. Any spirits connoisseur would be abject to not stop by.
They do tastings in their Jeffersonville distillery and also at a second tasting room near the Cabot Creamery.

This charming little distillery produces 6 different kinds of alcohol. Vodka, rhum, rye whisky, bourbon, and two different gins. I’ve tried the Hopped Gin, which is made in extremely small batches they say, and found it very good. Ok, I have to admit: I have a soft spot for gin, and this one deserved my attention.
We stopped here after a long day on the slopes and the employees working in the small tasting room were so nice with us. They answered all of our questions and let us try each variety we wanted to taste. This is the reason why I like Vermont. No… let me rephrase. This is the reason why I LOVE Vermont.
Cheers!

Funny little place with just one person working the small tasting room. We stopped by around 2pm on saturday and had the place to ourselves. The distillery produces vodka, gin, rum, rye, and bourbon, although they were already sold out of the bourbon when we arrived. I was a little bummed since the bourbon was really what i was interested in.
The vodka was probably their best product, its was crisp and nearly bite free. The vodka has been rated higher than Grey Goose and Belvedere and I’d say I agree however it was rated the same as Tito’s Vodka and I can buy Tito’s without the 5 ½ hour drive from New York. Vodka bottles were about $ 27 so they do make great gifts or souvenirs, worth picking up a few of you are in the area.
Gin, I am not a gin guy so all i can say is the bottle was only $ 30 and if its on par with their other products its worth picking up a bottle.
Rum, well now I am however a rum guy. Smuggler’s Notch Distillery makes a very good rum. It is a little light for my taste, but the quality is there. I picked up a bottle as a gift for my father, also a rum guy, and am glad he will probably choose to drink it with me. Now if you like a more complex rum like a Zacapa 23 or Viscaya you will be a little disappointed as it leaves a lot to be desired if you drink it neat but the clean caramel flavor isnt bad over a little ice. If you mix rum with anything other than ice you will really enjoy this rum it is better than anything you are probably using, we however cannot be friends. Again worth the $ 30.
Bourbon and Rye, there was a bottle of bourbon to taste even though they were sold out of bottles for sale. Quality was again evident but it didnt really blow my skirt up. The Rye was excellent, moderate peat flavor, smooth with a mild finish. Smugg’s Rye isnt cheap at $ 58 a bottle but for what you are getting its only slightly more expensive then Ryes of equal quality.
Overall I think it would be foolish to pass up a visit to The Smuggler’s Notch Distillery if you are in the area.

This nifty snifter filling distillery sits on the road to Smuggs from Burlington and has some of the best vodka I’ve ever had. In fact, it’s so good, I regulate who I allow to drink it since it is a 4 hour hike to procure. We stumbled upon Smugglers’ Notch Distillery a few years back and always restock when we get to the Burlington area.
It’s a quaint, roadside building, with a nice tasting area and very knowledgeable staff. The spirits are premium, but the price is fair for the quality. If you like to try small batch liquors, stop by for a tasting and take some home (or to the slopes in you flask). If you’re not much of a vodka drinker, they now make gin, rum and Bourbon whiskey. I tasted all three, but I’m in love with their vodka most! Enjoy!