The Top New England Whiskey Picks

From Maine's first organic distillery in Newcastle. This is a four-grain bourbon using New England-sourced grains. Distilled in a single batch process, the bourbon is then aged in 5-gallon, char #3 American oak barrels. Certified USDA organic. Bottled at 44% ABV.

Fifty Stone Single Malt is made in the "Scottish Style" in Portland, Maine by Maine Craft Distilling. Made from 100% Maine-grown barley, the distillery uses local peat and locally harvested seaweed in the malting process. The single malt aged in oak for an unspecified amount of time. Fifty Stone gets its name from the idea that it took fifty stone (equivalent of 700 pounds or 317.5 kg) of barley for one barrel of whiskey.

Putnam New England Single Malt is made using 100% two-row malted barley. First released in December 2017, it is the first whiskey the grain-to-glass Boston Harbor Distillery produced. It matures in 53-gallon new toasted then heavily-charred American white oak barrels and is bottled at 100 proof.

Silo is produced in small batches from Vermont grown corn and rye. Because it's aged in ex-bourbon barrels (from Black Swan in Minnesota) and not new oak, this bottle can't technically be classified as bourbon. Fun fact: the distillery plays a mix of rock, jam band and dance music to the whiskey as it ages, to get the barrels shakin' and extract flavor from the wood.

The corn used for this whiskey is sourced from just a couple of miles from the distillery located in Western Massachusetts. The mash bill is 90% corn and 10% barley and is distilled in a small copper lined pot still. It is aged briefly in used oak and cherrywood that are cut, milled, and charred on site.

The third release of WhistlePig FarmStock Rye--what the brand calls its "Triple Terroir Whiskey"-- is scheduled for a July 2019 release. This is a blend of straight rye whiskeys, two from Canada and one the brand's own Vermont-distilled rye. The latter whiskey makes up a majority of the blend and is made from estate-grown rye, brought to proof with their own water and aged in Vermont white oak barrels. The breakdown is as follows: 52% 3 year Vermont rye, 31% 6 year Canadian rye, 17% 10 year Canadian rye.

Distilled at New England Distilling in Portland, Maine, Gunpowder Rye is a throwback to bold, old-style rye whiskey. It's young and it's rough, but that's the point. Unlike many rye whiskeys, this one uses no corn in its mash bill--just rye (70%) and barley (30%).

Bully Boy is a craft distillery in Boston, MA, founded in 2010 by Will and Dave Willis who produce their own whiskey. Although this bottle carries no age statement, by law anything labeled "straight" whiskey must be at least two years old. Not a bourbon or a rye as the mash bill doesn't qualify for either.

Chocorua Straight Rye Whiskey is distilled from a single crop of organic rye grown in Maine. It's made from 100% rye in a sour mash method. It is aged in 53 gallon white oak barrels for over two years, and is bottled at 45% ABV. Tamworth Distilling donates $1 from every bottle sold to the Chocorua Lake Conservancy.

Battle Cry from Sol Spirits of Rhode Island is a single malt made from a Belgian-style rye ale, using 100% malted rye and honey rye. It is fermented with a Trappist style yeast strain, aged in new charred oak. Note: This is sold in 375 ml and 750ml bottles.