Son of a Fitch John Fitch Distilling Company, South Windsor October 2022 I can't decide what the most interesting thing about this new-in-'22 distillery is. There are at least five competing ideas in my head. Most of them could be made far less interesting if the owners of this joint would spend a day beefing up … [Read more...]
Read this first
Litchfield Distillery
The Other Fabulous Baker Boys Litchfield Distillery, Litchfield March 2016 The Spirit of Hard Work® The three brothers behind Litchfield Distillery actually registered that phrase as their trademark. It's their thing. And that's not a bad thing. In fact, David, Jack, and Peter Baker are pretty much all near or … [Read more...]
Hickory Ledges Farm Distillery
Hickory Dickory Hickory Ledges Farm Distillery, Canton October 2015 I've written many times about the allure of Canton. I can't think of another Connecticut town which has such a developed and busy stretch of box stores, car dealerships, and strip malls that is not at all defined by that stretch of box stores … [Read more...]
Watercure Farm Distillery
Friday I'm in Love Watercure Farm Distillery, Pomfret November 2020 Nice. A Connecticut distillery that is an actual Connecticut distillery. With an actual still that actually distills alcohol. I mostly gave up trying to sort out which of our distilleries are distilleries and which are "spirits producers," … [Read more...]
Hartford Flavor Company
Flavor Flav Hartford Flavor Company, Hartford November 2017 HFC is opening a Lounge and Eatery on Pratt Street in 2024. I want Hartford Flavor Company to succeed and flourish and I hope customers remain happy and satisfied with the products and events that come out of the Arbor Street facility. It is an … [Read more...]
Polly & Joan’s Cordial Company (Closed)
Cordially Closed Polly & Jean Cordials, Wallingford I apologize to Polly & Jean. I apologize for never writing a page about your cold-soaked cordials when you were still in the business of cold-soaking fruit into cordials. Now, I'm not pretending that my doing so would have helped the business at all. I'm merely … [Read more...]
Maple Lane/Foggy Harbor Spirits (Closed)
Currantly Closed Maple Lane Spirits, Preston This is one of those pages that I write while never being 100% convinced I'm guessing its veracity correctly. I am very certain that Maple Lane Spirits ceased operations in 2018 or 2019. I can't find any sort of announcement to that effect, and therefore I'm not … [Read more...]
Connecticut Valley Distillery (Closed)
Smuggler's Done Connecticut Valley Distillery (Closed), Ellington Closed 2018 You have found yourself on (yet another) page on CTMQ that exists for no other reason than to satisfy my list-completion OCD. I not only never visited the Connecticut Valley Distillery, I never drank any of its signature Smuggler’s Rum. … [Read more...]
Westford Hill Distillers
Eau-de-Wheeeeeeee! Westford Hill Distillers, Ashford June 2013 Westford Hill is internationally renowned and yet it's fairly likely you've never heard of them. Westford Hill is on Chatey Road in Ashford and is owned and operated by Louis and Margaret Chatey and I'm pretty sure you don't live on a road named … [Read more...]
Onyx Spirits (Closed)
BACDAFUCUP Onyx Spirits Company, East Hartford January 2016 Onyx closed this location in May 2018 with stated plans of reopening “somewhere.” That was likely never a realistic plan at all and Onyx has disappeared entirely. This is one of those pages that I’ve been waffling on how to write it. I’m very … [Read more...]