Tamworth Distilling

When you’ve created legendary brands like Hendrick’s Gin and Sailor Jerry Rum, where do you go from there?

In the case of Steven Grasse it was to the New Hampshire town of Tamworth, with a population under 3,000, to open a craft distillery. It might seem an unlikely move, but not to Grasse.

Old Hampshire Applejack from Tamworth Distilling in New Hampshire — Old Hampshire Applejack

‘As a child,’ Grasse says, ‘I spent each summer in the Lakes Region and my fondest memories are from my summers in New Hampshire. My family has history in the area and I’ve always wanted my children to have those same memories too.’

Scientist doing research at Tamworth Distilling in New Hampshire — The Experimental Test Kitchen

‘After launching Hendrick’s and Sailor Jerry, my next career goal was to open my own distillery, one that remained small in scale and that focused on using locally-sourced ingredients. I essentially wanted to build an experimental test kitchen where we could produce top-quality spirits from scratch, and bring that idea to a rural community as a way of creating jobs. Then I discovered Tamworth.’

Going Foraging at Tamworth Distilling in New Hampshire — Going Foraging

Tamworth Distilling Location

Sitting between the Lakes Region and the White Mountains, Tamworth is surrounded by tasty ingredients and pristine water. And nothing is off limits to an innovator like Grasse.

‘One of the more popular releases has been our Black Trumpet Blueberry Cordial,’ he says. ‘It’s our most widely distributed spirit, and it’s developed a cult following among top-tier mixologists in New York. It’s made with hand-picked blueberries from the forest near our distillery, and foraged black trumpet mushrooms. It’s the only spirit produced that uses mushrooms too.’

Eau de Musc Spirit from Tamworth Distilling in New Hampshire — Eau de Music Spirit

Mushrooms in a spirit? Well, it doesn’t stop there.

‘We are always experimenting with unique ingredients out of the distillery. Recently we tested a goat milk liqueur that’s still being refined. Our production style is wilderness-to-bottle, and since we forage for most of our own ingredients, almost nothing is off the table in terms of what we can do.’