This masterful blend of Kingdom Spirits rye and bourbon whiskies perfectly balances flavors of orange, vanilla and oak. Just as those who liked their spirits the old-fashioned way during Prohibition: Add a few dashes of bitters, a touch of sugar and stir with ice for optimal enjoyment.
76012 - 750ML - $39.99
Blackfoot River Bourbon
Penelope Wheated 95 Proof Bourbon
Penelope Wheated Bourbon is a carefully crafted expression that showcases a commitment to balance and versatility. With a smooth, approachable flavor profile, this bourbon offers a rich sweetness complemented by just the right touch of spice. At 95 proof, it strikes the ideal balance between boldness and drinkability, making it perfect for both sipping neat or using in a cocktail. This wheated bourbon is designed to appeal to a wide range of bourbon lovers, providing a nuanced yet accessible experience that stands out in any setting.
21074 - 750ML - $39.99
ON SALE: $33.99
Aged in Montana’s extremes, Montana Whiskey Co.’s bourbon packs notes of heavy caramel, spicy rye and a hint of oak, all with a crisp finish. Drink it straight up or make your favorite mixer better. The distinctive stainless-steel bottle is tough enough to handle a rugged outdoor lifestyle, whether you’re hitting the slopes or climbing into the saddle.
26130 - 750ML - $39.99
Revel Stoke Crackberry Blackberry
A limited release from Revel Stoke, this whisky is a well-balanced blend of subtly sweet blackberries and mild vanilla spice, with its typical smoothness. Phillips Distilling Company first introduced Revel Stoke in 2000, a Canadian whisky spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, ginger and vanilla. The company’s flavors with chaotic names are blended today in Minnesota.
14516 - 750ML - $16.99
ON SALE: $14.99
Hornitos Anejo Tequila
Hornitos Añejo is aged in white oak barrels for at least a year, allowing it to develop a smoother, more complex flavor and a distinctive amber color. The process highlights the richness and depth of taste that beautifully complements the agave-forward flavors of all our tequilas, adding notes of hazelnut, vanilla and dried fruit.
89841 - 750ML - $39.99
MEET THE DISTILLER
BY SARAH PEARSON PHOTOS BY DAVID SEAVER
Crafting Spirits with a view
MEET THE METCALFES OF VERMONT DISTILLERS
From atop Hogback Mountain in Marlboro, the view of Southern Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts stretches for 100 miles. Expansive woods and the powerful Deerfield River run through the region. While Hogback Mountain Ski Area long ago stopped cycling its lifts, you can still appreciate Hogback’s trails by hiking or taking in the sights from the Scenic Overlook along Route 9.
The overlook is flanked by Hogback Mountain Country Store, which Ed Metcalfe ran from 2002 to 2018, and Vermont Distillers, the current Metcalfe family business, which is housed in the ski area’s former lodge.
Ed and sons Dominic and Augustus “Gus” Metcalfe are the primary operators of the distillery with a dazzling view from its deck.
“Even if we weren't here with the giant sign for the distillery, there'd be hundreds of cars pulling over every day,” Dominic Metcalfe says. “What we’re trying to do is make our distillery itself a destination. We're doing live music every Saturday this summer, and trying to make it a more exciting place for people to come. The whole area down here, the Deerfield Valley, has an increase in younger people looking to run businesses.”
Ed was interested in a career in environmental education, but after college, a friend got him a job managing a liquor store in Rhode Island. That led to a job as head sales agent for a small winery.
Gus, Ed and Dominic Metcalfe have been running their distillery for more than 13 years from their perch aside Hogback Mountain. Their familyrun operation makes an array of liqueurs as well as gin and bourbon.
Left: Dominic Metcalfe pours a liqueur at the distillery's tasting room, which is located next to the gift shop his father, Ed, operated for many years at the scenic overlook on Hogback Mountain.
That work inspired him to return to Vermont and start his own winery, the state’s first, in 1985. Ed said that running a distillery was always something he wanted to do. However, his winery space was attached to his home, and that wasn’t allowed for distilleries. He sold the winery in 1997.
After that, he spent his time managing the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and the Hogback Mountain Gift Shop.
In 2007, Ed created a pitch for the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation business competition. He placed third and received $1,000. After revising his plan and resubmitting, he placed first the following year, winning $10,000.
“At the time, I was 58 years old. I really felt bad taking the money and not using it. So, we started the distillery,” Ed said. “ I had the idea all along that I wanted to have my sons, Gus and Dominic, involved, and they've both been working on the distillery for quite a while in some fashion.”The distillery started to get off the ground in 2012.
“Basically, around the time I was finishing college,” Dominic said. “It lined up.”
Dominic earned a bachelor’s degree in studio art from the University of Vermont, while Gus studied horticulture at Vermont Tech. They put their specialized skills to work in different parts of the business, with Gus and Ed working on making and mixing their products. Dominic designs the labels and does the marketing for them. He also helps when it’s all-hands-on-deck to bottle the products.
Vermont Distillers is still primarily a family endeavor. Aside from the three Metcalfes, it has a part-time person who assists with the bottling and some bar staff at its tasting rooms. That’s been a bit of a challenge for Ed, who at 75 is looking to retire soon.
“We're trying to take over some of his jobs, but it's a lot,” Dominic said.
Their small size does help them be nimble. During the COVID pandemic, the distillery pivoted to making hand sanitizer and home delivery of spirits.
“I don’t know if it helped us become the company we are today, but it was definitely an interesting time,” Dominic said. “Being a family business is a challenge and a joy at the same time.”
Metcalfe’s foremost products, its Vermont Maple Cream Liqueur and Vermont Maple Bourbon, remain bestsellers even 13 years later. Among the ingredients is syrup from Corse Maple Farm in Whitingham.
“The maple bourbon is sweet for a bourbon but not sweet enough to be a liqueur — sips like an Old-Fashioned,” Dominic says. “The maple cream? Like a melted maple creemee.”
Those popular products have been joined by an array of liqueurs — including raspberry, blueberry, cherry and peach, which recently scored a 94 from Wine Enthusiast — as well as Catamount Vodka, Vermont Moonshine, Vermont Honey Bourbon and a Pommeau made with apples from Dwight Miller Orchards in Dummerston.
They also have limited-time seasonal offerings like limoncello and a cranberry liqueur. Vermont Distillers has a custom-built, 300-gallon still in its solar-powered facility. To get just the right balance, they experiment with small-batch blending and infusions, with meticulous documentation so that when they do get just the right taste, they can submit the formula to be registered federally.
“Even if we weren't here with the giant sign for the distillery, there'd be hundreds of cars pulling over every day ”
“Gus is making it all. He's very particular about how he makes stuff, and I think he does a really good job of that,” Ed said. “Then, we have to test it for alcohol, which I do most of those tests to make sure everything's right on the nose.”
While you can find an array of its products at 802Spirits agency stores, some limited-edition products are only available directly from the distillery at 7755 Route 9 East, West Marlboro, or the tasting outlet at the gift shop next door. Vermont Distillers also operates a tasting room on Church Street in Burlington, in partnership with Smugglers’ Notch Distillery.
If you find yourself nearby, stop in for a sip and take in the view. It’s a chance to experience Vermont with all your senses.
— DOMINIC METCALFE
Enjoy these cocktails from
Vermont Old-Fashioned
2 ounces Metcalfe's Vermont Maple Bourbon
2 dashes Black Walnut bitters
Luxardo cherry and an orange peel to garnish
Combine ingredients with ice and stir until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish and serve.
Espresso Martini
1 ounce Metcalfe's Vermont Maple Cream Liqueur
1 1/2 ounces Catamount Vodka
1 ounce espresso Espresso powder to garnish
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a prechilled martini glass. Garnish with espresso powder.
BY SARAH PEARSON
Pumpkin Spice and Spooky Nights
Celebrate the harvest season with cocktails that embrace fall
Pumpkin bowling at Billings Farm and Museum in Woodstock, Vt.
s the mountains are set ablaze with the fiery colors of autumn foliage and the air is crisp as the crunchy leaves underfoot, harvest season arrives in Vermont. With it comes fall festivals and spooky Halloween activities. It’s a time to put on a flannel and enjoy being outside before frost sets in for good.
Here are some ways you can embrace the season and toast to the bounty it brings.
Harvest Celebration
Woodstock
The first weekend of October, head to the Billings Farm and Museum. There will be harvest activities, food and family-friendly fun including barn dancing, live music, pumpkin bowling, crafts, stories and more. Take a wagon ride through the pasture and learn about Vermont’s apple varieties. Blend sweet with savory flavors while taste-testing Billings Farm cheddar cheeses. The snacking continues with treats from the Farmhouse, including Vermont-made ice cream, hot spiced apple cider, cider doughnuts and more. The farm is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Destination bonus: Across the street from Billings Farm is the MarshBillings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (the only national park unit in Vermont). From here, it’s an easy hike to the top of Mount Tom’s South Peak (1,250 feet). This loop travels on graded carriage roads, making it a rewarding hike for even younger children. Other trails head out farther to The Pogue, a man-made pond. The walk is a popular foliage hike.
After returning from your hike up Mount Tom, refresh yourself with a Tom Collins.
Tom Collins
2 ounces gin, traditionally Old Tom Gin
1 ounce lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
Club soda to top
Lemon wheel or wedge and /or Maraschino cherry (garnish)
Combine gin, lemon juice and simple syrup in a Collins glass. Fill the glass with ice. Top with club soda. Stir gently. Garnish with a lemon wheel or wedge, and/or a maraschino cherry.
Hathaway Farm and Corn Maze
Rutland
With a 13-acre corn maze, which this year celebrates Camping Across America, plus a mini maze, story walk, wagon rides, play area and hands-on petting barn, families can exhaust themselves with fun at Hathaway Farm. The Osgood family ran the farm for five generations and were considered “the Potato Kings of Vermont” and were, at one point, the largest maple producers in the state. Today, the farm is owned by the third generation of the Hathaway family, which operates it as a dairy farm and still makes lots of maple syrup.
Maple Bourbon Smash
2 ounces Smugglers’ Notch Distillery Maple Bourbon
3/4 ounce Smugglers’ Notch Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup
4 fresh mint leaves plus sprig for garnish
3 lemon wedges
Muddle lemon wedges in a shaker.
Add bourbon, maple syrup, mint leaves and ice. Shake until well chilled.
Double-strain into rocks glass with ice.
Garnish with mint sprig.
VERMONT PRODUCT
MOCK TAIL
Pumpkin Patch at Equinox Valley Nursery
Manchester
Embrace the autumn aesthetic at Equinox Valley Nursery, where you’ll be greeted by whimsical scarecrows, hundreds of pumpkins, fresh cider doughnuts, mums and more. You’ll be able to find pumpkins for carving, decorative gourds and squash for eating. Take a wagon ride or wander through the corn maze. Don’t forget your camera to snap photos of stunning foliage views.
Pumpkin Ginger Spice Spritz
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Spice Syrup
½ cup ginger kombucha
½ cup soda water
Ice
Fill your favorite fancy glass, such as a large wine glass, with ice. Add one tablespoon of the Pumpkin Spice Syrup and then fill the glass with half ginger kombucha and half soda water. Add a cinnamon stick for garnish.
Pumpkin Spice Syrup
½ cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add all of the syrup ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk to fully combine. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Enchanted Forest Montpelier
The Enchanted Forest in Hubbard Park, Montpelier, is a guided walk from the New Shelter to the Tower and back. Along with the jack-o-lantern-lit trail, visitors will find the forest filled with art, music, song and magic. At the Tower visitors will spread out on the hillside to watch a performance and then return along the path to the New Shelter. Costumes are encouraged.
Fairy Belle
1 ½ ounces gin
½ ounce peach liqueur ½ ounce lemon juice Dash of grenadine
Pour gin and peach liqueur into a shaker. Add a dash of grenadine and fresh lemon juice.
Shake well with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist or an edible flower to serve.
Autumn on the Green Danville
Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival
Tunbridge
Merino wool herds were once plentiful in Vermont (with a recorded 1 million sheep in 1837!) as the sheep will graze on just about anything, including the brush that grows on poor, rocky soil. But with changes in wool demand, small family farms were consolidated over time, and fewer remain today. From those who remain, you can watch shearing and herding demonstrations, learn from fiber artists and purchase materials or finished products at the 37th annual Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival.
Warm Woolly Sheep
1 ounce Scotch whisky
1½ ounces dramuie
½ cup warm milk
Combine the whisky and drambuie in a heat-safe mug.
Top off with warm milk, microwaving for about 45 seconds works well, and stir lightly.
Every year, on the first Sunday in October, artisans, crafters, antique retailers, cottage industries and food vendors gather on the town green in a celebration of autumn. More than 200 vendors offer items from whimsical jewelry to dog biscuits, original artwork to quilts, books to baskets. Vermont specialties featured are maple products, cheese, pumpkins, cider, homemade jams and jellies, pickles and relishes, baked goods and desserts of all kinds. Enjoy ready-to-eat foods while listening to live music in a country village setting.
Apple Cider Whiskey
1 gallon apple cider (boiled until reduced to 75%, about 3 to 4 hours, then brought to room temperature), 1 ounce will be used in recipe
2 ounces rye whiskey
1 strip orange zest, for garnish
1 cinnamon stick, for garnish (optional)
Combine cider syrup and whiskey over ice in a cocktail mixing glass. Stir until well chilled.
Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
Garnish with a strip of orange zest (squeeze the zest over drink first to release essential oils, then run zest strip around rim of glass before plopping in the drink) and a cinnamon stick, if you wish.
The true ethos of the NEK in a bottle… experience the spirit of the kingdom in these whiskies.
Queen City Ghost Walk
Burlington
This walking tour of Vermont’s largest city is filled with historical tidbits and spooky tales. Current proprietor and guide Holli Bushnell has never lived more than a mile from a cemetery. The Darkness Falls tour was created by historian and author Thea Lewis (Haunted Burlington and more). This perennial favorite tour, chosen one of New England's best haunted walks by both Yankee magazine and AAA, features some of Burlington's most infamous characters and intriguing haunts: theater ghosts, smugglers, serial killers and the like. Generally suitable for individuals aged 10 and older.
Black Magic
4 ounces vodka dyed with black gel food coloring or Blavod Black Vodka
2 ounces pomegranate juice
2 ounces orange juice
1 ounce Luxardo cherry syrup from the jar
1 teaspoon edible white pearl dust
Cinnamon stick and/or orange peel, to garnish
In the bottom of a shaker, add the vodka, dye, pomegranate juice, orange juice, Luxardo cherry syrup and pearl dust. Fill the shaker with ice and stir using a bar spoon until chilled, about 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass and serve. Garnish with orange peel or cinnamon stick.
TASTE PROFILE:
Color – Our darkest and deepest amber and henna color
Aroma/Nose – Robust vanilla and caramel notes; slightly smoky
Taste – Deep and complex flavors of vanilla, nuts and oak
Finish – Long and full; perfect for sipping
#14516
$14.99
#41604 Sale $9.99
ON SALE IN OUR STORES
BRANDY
COCKTAILS
CORDIALS
VODKA
Lost Lantern, based in Vergennes, VT, shines a light on the best whiskey from all across the United States. Our two flagships are blends of bourbons and ryes from states and distilleries that have never been blended before.
Far-Flung Bourbon has notes of baking spice, dark chocolate, and dried fruits, with a rich, creamy palate.
Far-Flung Rye is fresh and grassy, with hints of mint, lemon, and balanced oak and rye spice.
STORE LOCATOR
No matter where you are, a Vermont Liquor Store is nearby. Visit us on the web at 802spirits.com
Please call ahead to confirm store hours.
Island Pond Kingdom Market
12 Railroad Street • (802) 723-5464
Sun -Wed: 6 am -7 pm, ThurS - SaT: 6 am - 8 pm
Jay
Jay Country Store
1077 VT-242 • (802) 988-4040
7 am - 8 pm, Sun: 7 am - 7 pm
Jeffersonville
Jeffersonville Country Store
21 Mill Street • (802) 644-6300
Mon - Fri: 9 am - 7:30 pm, Sat: 11am - 7 pm, Sun: 10 am - 5 pm
