History

Smugglers' Notch Distillery was founded in 2006 as a family project by Ron and Jeremy Elliott, who together in Vermont's mountain landscape created a distillery with a focus on craft and flavor.

Production and Manufacturing

Vodka and White Spirits

• The vodka is made from a blend of sweet corn and winter wheat from Idaho and mixed with Vermont spring water. Filtration occurs through a particulate filter rather than charcoal filtration, which preserves some of the spirit's natural flavor notes.

Maple Syrup and Liqueurs

• Maple Syrup and Maple Cream Liqueur achieve their distinctive character through local collaboration and bourbon/rye aging. Maple Bourbon and Vermont Bourbon Maple Cream Liqueur combine bourbon with Vermont maple syrup and cream.
• Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup is available in several sizes (100 ml, 200 ml, 250 ml, 375 ml, 375 ml short).

Whisky: Rye and Bourbon

• Rye Whiskey is made from a mash of 95% rye and 5% malted barley and aged in new American charred oak barrels, which gives a complex yet smooth character with notes of cherry, vanilla and toffee.
• Straight Bourbon Whiskey is 90 proof and described as exceptionally smooth with aromas of corn and rye; the palate reveals vanilla, chocolate and caramel as middle- and finish-notes.
• Maple Bourbon is a bourbon with 100% pure Vermont maple syrup and aged in used bourbon barrels, which gives a sweet, rounded finish.

Limited Editions

• Dead Buck Bourbon Whiskey is aged 13 years in specially designed wooden barrels and cannot be shipped. Pickup at tasting rooms is required.

Other

• Stowe Sparkle and other products reflect the distillery's ongoing development and innovation within Vermont's spirits lineup.

Products and Whisky Series

Bourbon

• Smugglers' Notch Straight Bourbon Whiskey (90 proof)
• Maple Bourbon
• Dead Buck Bourbon Whiskey (Limited Release, pickup)

Rye

• Smugglers' Notch Rye Whiskey

Visits and Experiences

• Four tasting rooms in Burlington, Stowe/Waterbury, Manchester and Jeffersonville, where visitors can learn about the team's history and production process through experiences and tastings.

Philosophy

• The starting point is to create excellent American craft spirits that are local and based on science, quality and patience. The company emphasizes local collaboration (e.g., maple syrup collaboration) and proud values around craftsmanship and flavor, and they strive not to rush products to market.