Wondering what Maine craft distilleries actually make? You’ll find gin, rum, rye whiskey and even blueberry moonshine, much of it built around Maine-grown ingredients like potatoes and wild blueberries.
For the bigger picture of drinking in the city, start with the portland maine cocktail scene.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Source profile published | February 2015 |
| New England Distilling products for sale | 3 (gin, rum, rye whiskey) |
| Maine Craft Distilling spirits | 7, from dry gin to blueberry moonshine |
| New England Distilling time in operation | 4 years at the time of the profile |
| Family whiskey-making in Maryland began | The 1860s |
| Rum Riot commemorated by special rum batches | 1855 |
These figures come from The Maine Magazine’s February 2015 profile of Portland distillers. Product lines and company details can change, so check the source and the distillers themselves before you rely on them.
What Maine craft distilleries put in the bottle
The Maine Magazine’s profile describes a state that has become home to some of the most exciting names in craft distilling. Their ingredients range from the humble potato to the wild blueberry, bringing locally grown products off the farm and into the flask.
The profile centres on three Portland producers:
- New England Distilling, which makes gin, rum and rye whiskey.
- Maine Craft Distilling, with a range from traditional dry gin to blueberry moonshine.
- Liquid Riot Bottling Company, among the smallest craft distillers in the state at the time, known for beer schnapps and oat whiskey.
The writer notes a shared trait among the distillers: a desire to make spirits from Maine-grown crops. Because the profile dates from 2015, treat it as a snapshot of how the scene was described then rather than a current directory.
How New England Distilling makes its spirits
New England Distilling is on the outer limits of Portland, down an industrial side road off a busy stretch of Forest Avenue. Inside, the writer found a massive copper still resting on a pile of bricks and racks of wooden barrels.
Distiller Tim Fisher explained the method simply: “We use direct fire on the stills.” Founder Ned Wight says the process is designed to more closely match what would have been done in the colonial period. In his words, “Older technique produces older flavors, which are interesting and complex.”
As of the February 2015 profile, the company had three products for sale:
- Ingenium, a gin with intense herbal and floral flavors and a silky mouthfeel.
- Eight Bells Rum, a barrel-matured gold rum made from Brazilian molasses.
- Gunpowder Rye Whiskey, a spicy Maryland-style whiskey inspired by Wight’s ancestors at Sherwood Distilling Company.
The packaging speaks of 150 years and six generations of family tradition, according to the profile. Wight says his family began making whiskey in Maryland in the 1860s, and the company had been operating for only four years when the article was written.
Maine Craft Distilling in Bayside
Maine Craft Distilling sits in the heart of Portland’s Bayside neighborhood. Its founder and chief distiller, Luke Davidson, made seven spirits at the time of the February 2015 profile, ranging from a traditional dry gin to an unexpected blueberry moonshine.
The writer found the tasting room more bohemian than New England Distilling’s. A mustard-yellow and brick-red mural covers the back wall, and the bar holds stacks of books and irregularly hung art. One piece is a portrait of Portland’s own Neal Dow, the so-called Napoleon of Temperance and a driving force behind Prohibition, who looks down on the drinkers.
Davidson grew up in Jefferson, and his parents were back-to-the-land farmers. That background gives extra weight to the company’s farm-to-flask mission. “It’s my goal to be as Maine as you can get,” he says.
Liquid Riot and the 1855 Rum Riot
Eric Michaud runs Liquid Riot Bottling Company, formerly known as In’finiti Fermentation and Distillation. The new name comes from the 1855 Rum Riot, according to the profile.
Wight and Davidson have collaborated with Michaud on special edition batches of rum to commemorate that event. “In Chicago, they rioted over beer. In Maine, it was rum,” Michaud explains. “The common denominator to these riots is the liquid.”
The profile calls Liquid Riot one of the smallest craft distillers in the state. That has not stopped Michaud from making unusual products, such as beer schnapps and whiskey made from locally grown organic oats.
Why did craft distilling take hold in Maine?
Wight offers a short history. Maryland rye fell out of style in the 1950s, he says, when big flavors were on their way out and many craft distillers were forced to close. Interest in hard spirits waned for decades, and big brands took over.
The profile says the tide began to turn in the 1990s, when consumers found a new appreciation for California wines. The sequence the writer describes runs like this:
- A wine revolution came first.
- The craft brewing scene began to pick up.
- Distillers followed, helped by a more educated, locality-obsessed drinking culture.
Wight worked as a brewer at Allagash Brewing Company before switching to distilling, and he credits the beer industry for helping usher in this era. He also says Maine consumers are “curious and willing,” ready to support their neighbors and taste their passion projects. Davidson sums up the local attitude with “A rising tide lifts all ships.”
Bringing Maine spirits into your glass
The profile is about makers rather than recipes, but two of the spirits it names fit classic drinks. If you pick up a bottle of rye whiskey, the guide on how to make an old fashioned shows one way to use it.
If rum is more your style, there is a dark and stormy recipe that puts it to work. Whatever you choose, check the distiller’s current range first, since the lineups described here date from 2015.
Frequently asked questions
What spirits do Maine craft distillers make?
Show answer
The February 2015 profile mentions gin, rum, rye whiskey, bourbon in progress, blueberry moonshine, beer schnapps and oat whiskey. Each depends on which distiller you visit.
Which local ingredients do Maine distillers use?
Show answer
The profile points to ingredients from the humble potato to the wild blueberry, plus locally grown organic oats at Liquid Riot. Davidson’s Maine Craft Distilling describes a farm-to-flask mission.
Why is there a portrait of Neal Dow at Maine Craft Distilling?
Show answer
The profile does not explain the choice. It describes Dow as Portland’s own so-called Napoleon of Temperance and a driving force behind Prohibition, and notes that his portrait looks down sternly at the drinkers seated below.
Are the product lists in this guide still current?
Show answer
Not necessarily. They reflect the February 2015 profile, so check each distillery directly for what it makes today.
