Former Secretaries of State, and local lawyer Daniel Webster described New Hampshire succinctly, he said.  "Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoemakers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but in the mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men." Daniel Webster is so right that, here in northern New Hampshire, real men and women are made.

 

We surround ourselves not with the hustle and bustle of city life, but with the warm blanket of our community of friends.  Sitting by the fire on a summers night, we watch sparks fly into the air.  Surrounded by family and friend, you cherish how short the time has been with the love of your life, and how long you hope it will grow.  Sharing conversations under the stars, by the fire, in the company of great minds.  Conversations lead to some interesting places, new ideas, and different opportunities.   New possibilities never before imagined emerge from conversations under the stars.

 

The making of spirits hadn’t occurred to me before a day just like that. I, like many an individual started brewing after enjoying some home made mead.  Once I had some, I was hooked.   I have been brewing beer and mead ever since.   Making spirits seemed like a logical extension of making beer.  The best spirits, after all, come from the best beer.  Spirits come from combining the art of fermenting and the science of distilling.  This seems the best of both Art and Science, and I was ready!

 

Researching our New Hampshire history, we came to rum.  As sugar came to New Hampshire, so too rum from New Hampshire went off to lubricate trade through out the world.  Our European heritage brought over schnapps, grappa and vodka, Scottish heritage brought whiskey, and our American heritage gives us moonshine and bourbon.  There is so much to choose from, and yet, why do we need to make a choice?

 

We have to make moonshine.  It is a little bit of civil disobedience in the face of government regulation that has followed the world of spirits through out history around the world.  Moonshine, is full of local flavors, created by the products that grow locally.  We pay homage to those who came before us.  The Rum Runners,  The Bootleggers, The Highland Scotts wrestling with the government over control of their land and use of grain.  We will create rum, bourbon and whisky all good enough to enjoy neat, or in the New Hampshire invention, the cocktail.  Each spirit as rich in world history as it is in taste and variety. 

 

Our heritage is even more important in how we come to make our product.  We are not importers.  We toil on the land, in the land with the land to nurture seeds.  Seeds become plants nurtured with care and feeding, shooing away pests, cultivated and growing tall in the sun.  Our kitchen and pantry is overflowing with the bounty of our gardens and the harvest of our lands.  Much of our land lies in wait, rich, yet overgrown and ready.  Ready for the spirit to move us.

 

Come join us for a drink, lean in, and tell us a story.  Be a part of that which has come before us, and make a mark on the hearts of those around you today.  Live, Love and embrace today as you embrace all those around you with the spirit of the mountains in New Hampshire.  For it is in this place that God is the maker of men.