USA TODAY 10Best
Sip, savor and indulge: 10 best spirits tasting rooms in the US
Best Spirits Tasting Room (2023)
Accompanying many of the country's best distilleries are tasting rooms, offering enthusiasts a chance to sample a distillery's wares onsite or close enough to it. Beyond the allure of the spirits themselves, many tasting rooms – like these 10 voted by our readers as the best in the nation – set themselves apart with an especially knowledgeable staff, compelling atmosphere, live music or an irresistible selection of food.
Photo courtesy of Lee Fenner
No. 10: Treaty Oak Distilling - Dripping Springs, Texas
A 28-acre Hill Country Texas ranch is the setting for Treaty Oak Distilling, making it the perfect venue for a visit. Their Mercantile tasting room is the site for their top-notch VIP Single Barrel Select tasting, where you sample from five Ghost Hill Texas bourbon barrels and then get to wax dip your own custom bottle of your favorite to take home. The ranch is also the setting for Alice's Restaurant, a Texas BBQ hot spot tucked into the 150-year-old live oak trees on the property, and where you can further sample experimental whiskeys and craft cocktails to go with your meats.
Photo courtesy of Ziga Plahutar // Getty Images
No. 9: Deviation Distilling - Denver, Colorado
Denver's Deviation Distilling occupies a private alley in Dairy Block, a vibrant micro-district in the city's LoDo neighborhood. What used to be an 1800s firehouse is now a lively patio, connected by two garage doors to an indoor bar area and intimate lounge. Hundreds of Deviation spirit bottles serve as decor, and here you can avail yourself of whiskey or gin flights, house cocktails and even enjoy their homemade truffles with your drinks.
Photo courtesy of cagkansayin // Getty Images
No. 8: Traverse City Whiskey Co. - Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City Whiskey Co. invites you to sample their handcrafted spirits and drinks at The Stillhouse, a laid-back speakeasy-style bar. Visitors can sample their beloved American Cherry Bourbon Whiskey that's made from local cherries, as well as their Lakeside Peach and Michigan Apple whiskeys that are both made with fruit from local orchards.
Photo courtesy of Action Studios
No. 7: Distillery 98 - Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
Enjoy Florida beach chic at Distillery 98's tasting room, which has chandeliers made from local oyster shells. There's a deck and an outdoor patio if you want to be a beach bum, and then there are the excellent small-batch crafted spirits. Expert Carrie Honaker says, "This tasting room always has something going on from live local music to storytellers nights to cookoffs. The staff is extremely knowledgeable, and their cocktails all incorporate local honeys, herbs, and mixers made onsite. The tasting room is gorgeously appointed with lots of nods to their coastal roots."
Photo courtesy of Mike Huffman
No. 6: Whidbey Island Distillery - Langley, Washington
Whidbey Island in Washinton's Puget Sound is a great destination of its own, but a visit to Whidbey Island Distillery is all the more reason to come to the Pacific Northwest. This grain-to-bottle craft distillery welcomes guests with free tastings of their aromatic liqueurs, like blackberry bathed for 8 months in brandy made from Washington wines, or loganberry, made in small batches from local loganberries. Expert Carrie Honaker writes, "The building here is built into a hill, so it feels like heading down into a hobbit house. After getting over the super-cool atmosphere, all tastings are complimentary and the staff are extremely knowledgeable."
Photo courtesy of Brent Taylor Photo
No. 5: Breckenridge Distillery - Breckenridge, Colorado
At 9,600 feet, Breckenridge Distillery is known as the highest distillery in the country, and their Main Street Tasting Room received a Highly Commended award from Icons of Whisky for Visitor Attraction of the Year in 2021. Here, in the elevated surroundings, you can enjoy complimentary sample tastings of any two of their foundational spirits, like Espresso Vodka or Spiced Rum, or you can opt for their private guided flight tastings (reservations required), which range from all vodka to cask-finished explorations, or even chocolate and spirits flights.
Photo courtesy of Smugglers' Notch Distillery
No. 4: Smugglers' Notch Distillery - Jeffersonville, Vermont
Vermont's Smugglers Notch has won endless awards for their unique vodkas, gins and more – and if you come to the state to taste them, you actually can do so in four different locations. They have tasting rooms in Burlington, Manchester, Waterbury, as well as the flagship distillery next to the Smugglers Notch mountain pass. Here you can sample their bourbon blended with local maple syrup or vodka accented with Moroccan rose and grapefruit. It's a perfect spot for some après ski!
Photo courtesy of arssecreta // Getty Images
No. 3: Big Cypress Distillery - Miami, Florida
Miami's Big Cypress is a distillery, tasting room and intimate speakeasy. There aren't a lot of seats here, so best make a reservation, but once inside head distiller Fernando Plata will set you up with some superb drinks. You can choose between barrel-aged cocktails, a gin and tonic bar, fresh cocktails on tap and sample Big Cypress' signature Hell's Bay Rum or Magic City Gin, Miami's finest.
Photo courtesy of Kasey Walker Minnick
No. 2: Six & Twenty Distillery - Greenville, South Carolina
Six & Twenty is Greenville's best spot to try a flight of homemade spirits, such as their wheat whiskey or the world's first five-grain bourbon. Their craft cocktails are diverse, unique and delicious, served with homemade bitters and garnishes, and you can order charcuterie platters or flatbread pizzas to go with your drinks. Throw in cocktail classes, grain-to-glass tours and photo ops next to their giant pot still, and you've got the perfect afternoon and evening.
Photo courtesy of Sugarlands Distilling Company
No. 1: Sugarlands Distilling Company - Gatlinburg, Tennessee
A visit to Sugarlands should be at the top of your list. They do tours, have tastings of their unique craft moonshine and sipping creams, the bartenders are super conversant, and there's always a party atmosphere going on here. Tasting treats include eggnog or butter pecan sipping creams or moonshines in flavors like blueberry muffin and peanut butter and jelly!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Amber Gibson
Amber Gibson spends 350 nights a year in hotels... Read More
Amber Gibson spends 350 nights a year in hotels searching for the latest and greatest in the travel industry. Her writing and photographs have appeared in print, online, and on the radio for outlets including Forbes, National Geographic Traveler, Departures, Four Seasons Magazine, Conde Nast Traveller, NPR, Saveur, Departures, Rhapsody, Hemispheres, American Way, Private Air, and Serious Eats. She graduated as valedictorian from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and received a fellowship to attend the 2017 Wine Writers Symposium at Meadowood Napa Valley. Champagne, dark chocolate and gelato are her biggest weaknesses.
Amber Gibson
Amber Gibson spends 350 nights a year in hotels searching for the latest and greatest in the travel industry. Her writing and photographs have appeared in print, online, and on the radio for outlets including Forbes, National Geographic Traveler, Departures, Four Seasons Magazine, Conde Nast Traveller, NPR, Saveur, Departures, Rhapsody, Hemispheres, American Way, Private Air, and Serious Eats. She graduated as valedictorian from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and received a fellowship to attend the 2017 Wine Writers Symposium at Meadowood Napa Valley. Champagne, dark chocolate and gelato are her biggest weaknesses.
Amber Love Bond
Amber Love Bond is a Miami-based food + beverage... Read More
Amber Love Bond is a Miami-based food + beverage and travel writer, who is always on the go and looking for her next adventure. After a decade-long career in corporate finance, she stumbled upon her passion for writing about the world around and hasn't looked back. Amber contributes to over a dozen print and digital publications including Travel & Leisure, Thrillist, Forbes, Eater, Southern Living, Miami New Times, HelloGiggles, Men’s Health, Fodor’s Travel Guide, and more. Typically you can find her at the opening of every restaurant, sipping cocktails at the coolest bars, or hanging out under a palm tree with her laptop (and a cocktail) in tow. Follow her adventures on Instagram at @amber__love.
Amber Love Bond
Amber Love Bond is a Miami-based food + beverage and travel writer, who is always on the go and looking for her next adventure. After a decade-long career in corporate finance, she stumbled upon her passion for writing about the world around and hasn't looked back. Amber contributes to over a dozen print and digital publications including Travel & Leisure, Thrillist, Forbes, Eater, Southern Living, Miami New Times, HelloGiggles, Men’s Health, Fodor’s Travel Guide, and more. Typically you can find her at the opening of every restaurant, sipping cocktails at the coolest bars, or hanging out under a palm tree with her laptop (and a cocktail) in tow. Follow her adventures on Instagram at @amber__love.
Carrie Honaker
Carrie Honaker is a Florida-based food and travel... Read More
Carrie Honaker is a Florida-based food and travel writer who is not sure where she will land next, but it will involve messy eating, a spicy Tempranillo, and finding the local farmers market. She has hauled oyster cages off the Forgotten Coast of Florida, harvested indigenous crops with the Abenaki Tribe in Vermont, learned to make beef patties from a Jamaican auntie, made Guavaberry Liqueur with a 7th generation distiller on St. Maarten, and stomped cacao pods in Grenada. She writes about food, drink, travel, and culture for Bon Appetit, Conde Nast Traveler, Wine Enthusiast, Fodor’s Travel, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and many more. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.
Carrie Honaker
Carrie Honaker is a Florida-based food and travel writer who is not sure where she will land next, but it will involve messy eating, a spicy Tempranillo, and finding the local farmers market. She has hauled oyster cages off the Forgotten Coast of Florida, harvested indigenous crops with the Abenaki Tribe in Vermont, learned to make beef patties from a Jamaican auntie, made Guavaberry Liqueur with a 7th generation distiller on St. Maarten, and stomped cacao pods in Grenada. She writes about food, drink, travel, and culture for Bon Appetit, Conde Nast Traveler, Wine Enthusiast, Fodor’s Travel, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and many more. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.
Jacky Runice
Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home... Read More
Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home safety choice and not a coffee order, Jacky Runice has been knocking around Chicago as a professional print, online and broadcast journalist and editor specializing in separating the riff from the raff in culture, entertainment, food, travel and pure unadulterated fun. Jacky is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).
In her best Chicagoese, Jacky asks, "Who has the time or money to blow on hotels, attractions, restaurants, exhibits and activities that blow?"
Jacky Runice
Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home safety choice and not a coffee order, Jacky Runice has been knocking around Chicago as a professional print, online and broadcast journalist and editor specializing in separating the riff from the raff in culture, entertainment, food, travel and pure unadulterated fun. Jacky is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).
In her best Chicagoese, Jacky asks, "Who has the time or money to blow on hotels, attractions, restaurants, exhibits and activities that blow?"
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production... Read More
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.