Kings County Distillery

Recorded answer text · Google AI Overviews · 27 September 2026

Some of the best craft spirits brands in America include New Riff Distilling for exceptional Kentucky whiskey, Barrell Craft Spirits for innovative cask-strength blends, and Bluecoat American Dry Gin for pioneering craft gin in Pennsylvania.

### Top Craft Spirits Brands

- New Riff Distilling (Kentucky): Known for aged rye and malted rye whiskeys with deep, complex flavors. - Barrell Craft Spirits (Kentucky): Celebrated for master-level blending and unique cask finishes like Dovetail. - Stranahan's (Colorado): A pioneer in American single malt whiskey, aged in charred oak barrels in mountain air. - Bluecoat (Pennsylvania): Distilled in Philadelphia, this organic American dry gin offers a smooth, citrus-forward profile. - Kings County Distillery (New York): New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery, famous for grain-to-glass bourbons and moonshines.

If you want to narrow down your choice, tell me:

- What type of spirit do you prefer (bourbon, gin, vodka, rum)? - What is your price range? - Do you prefer sweet, smoky, or herbal flavor profiles?

I can give you a personalized recommendation!

Recorded answer text · ChatGPT · 4 October 2026

If by “best” you mean distilleries producing standout American whiskey, I'd put these near the top right now, balancing recent competition results, reputation, and distinctiveness:

1. Bardstown Bourbon Company - Excellent modern Kentucky bourbon and rye, with particularly strong barrel-finished and experimental releases. Its Kentucky Straight Rye won Best Rye Whiskey & Best Whiskey at the 2026 L.A. Spirits Awards. www.laspiritsawards.com 2. A. Smith Bowman Distillery - A standout for high-end bourbon; its Cask Strength Batch #5 ranked #1 American Whiskey and #1 Bourbon in the latest International Whisky Competition results. www.whiskycompetition.com 3. Talnua Distillery - One of the names to know in American single malt. Its American White Oak Bottled-in-Bond won Best Craft American Whiskey at the 2026 ASCOT Awards. ascotawards.comamericancraftspirits.org 4. Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey - Excellent American single malt; Mountain Angel 12 Year won Best American Single Malt at the 2026 ASCOT Awards. ascotawards.comamericancraftspirits.org 5. Garrison Brothers Distillery - A pioneer of Texas bourbon. Its Cowboy Bourbon and Guadalupe were among the 2026 American Craft Spirits Awards' silver medalists. americancraftspirits.org 6. Kings County Distillery - Particularly compelling for American rye. Its Empire Rye has earned major recognition, including Best Craft Rye at the ASCOT Awards. ascotawards.com 7. Wigle Whiskey - One of the strongest craft producers for rye and experimental American whiskey; its Reserve Single Barrel Rye won Double Gold at the 2026 American Craft Spirits Awards. americancraftspirits.org 8. Whiskey Del Bac - Especially interesting if you want something outside the traditional Kentucky profile. Its American single malt and rye releases have received strong recent competition results. americancraftspirits.orgascotawards.com 9. Ironroot Republic Distillery - Texas producer making unusually ambitious whiskey; Hubris was named Best American Corn Whiskey in the 2026 World Whiskies Awards. whiskymag.comamericancraftspirits.org 10. Uncle Nearest - A major modern Tennessee whiskey producer. Uncle Nearest 1884 has received repeated high-level recognition, including Best American Whiskey at the ASCOT Best in Class awards. americancraftspirits.orgascotawards.com

### If I were narrowing it to 5 Bardstown Bourbon Company - best all-around destination for serious bourbon/rye A. Smith Bowman - high-end bourbon Talnua - American single malt Garrison Brothers - distinctive Texas bourbon Wigle Whiskey - craft rye and experimentation

Recent competitions also show how broad the American scene has become: Kentucky remains dominant for bourbon, while Colorado, Texas, Virginia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and New York are producing increasingly competitive American whiskey. americancraftspirits.org

If you meant the best distilleries to visit in person, rather than the best whiskey producers, I can rank the 10 best American distillery tours/experiences next.

Recorded answer text · Perplexity · 4 October 2026

The best American craft distilleries depend on your preferred spirit, but these are standout destinations for quality, innovation, and visitor experience:

- St. George Spirits - Alameda, California: A pioneering American craft distillery known for single-malt whiskey, gin, absinthe, brandy, rum, and liqueurs. - Westward Whiskey - Portland, Oregon: Excellent American single malt made with locally sourced ingredients and a strong distillery-tour experience. - Balcones Distilling - Waco, Texas: Highly distinctive Texas whiskey, including bold single malts and corn whiskies. - Stranahan's - Denver, Colorado: One of the best-known American single-malt producers, with a polished visitor program. - Copperworks Distilling - Seattle, Washington: Notable for whiskey made with Washington-grown barley and other regional ingredients. - Wilderness Trail Distillery - Danville, Kentucky: A respected bourbon and rye producer using scientifically focused fermentation and traditional distillation. - Kings County Distillery - Brooklyn, New York: An urban pioneer producing bourbon, rye, and other whiskeys at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. - Santa Fe Spirits - Santa Fe, New Mexico: Particularly strong in southwestern whiskey, brandy, gin, and fruit-forward spirits. - Tattersall Distilling - Minneapolis, Minnesota: A broad portfolio of gin, liqueurs, whiskey, and other spirits, paired with an impressive cocktail-focused destination. - Spirit Works Distillery - Sebastopol, California: Best known for gin, sloe gin, and whiskey; it was named Distillery of the Year by the American Distilling Institute in 2020. - Black Button Distilling - Rochester, New York: Whiskey-focused, with a wide range of gins and other spirits. - Prichard's Distillery - Kelso, Tennessee: A pioneering small-scale producer of rum and whiskey made in copper pot stills.

Best by category:

- Best overall craft pioneer: St. George Spirits - Best American single malt: Westward Whiskey or Stranahan's - Best Texas whiskey: Balcones - Best bourbon: Wilderness Trail - Best gin: St. George Spirits or Spirit Works - Best urban distillery visit: Kings County - Best broad spirits portfolio: Tattersall - Best regional destination: Santa Fe Spirits

For a first-time craft-distillery trip, Kentucky, California, Colorado, Oregon, and New York offer especially strong clusters of notable producers.