Deep in the heart of rural South County, the Sons of Liberty distillery is a uniquely "made in RI" business that is just waiting to be discovered and savored. More than once on the way to our destination, we asked ourselves exactly where our GPS was taking us, as the landscape became more and more pastoral, and less and less...Providence. City folk: bring your bread crumbs, jelly beans, or anything else to leave a trail that shows you the way out, once you've made your way in.
I first learned about Sons of Liberty through Yelp events, where they've offered up tastings to Providence's Elite squad. SOL's distillery tour is a fun and I daresay, mighty educational way to spend an hour on a Saturday afternoon. Tours kick off at :15 and :45 past the hour and if you're lucky, like we were, you might have the added benefit of a private tour with Mike, one of the owners. A business school graduate with roots in the world of finance, he can speak to every arcane and interesting detail of whiskey production. It's evident that he's done years of homework on the science and artistry of this distinctly American beverage. Â You'll listen, captivated, as you hear the story of whiskey: how it starts off as beer; the types of barrels in which it's stored; the various pieces of machinery that are essential to the distillation process. His passion for his product is apparent, and you get the same enthusiastic read off everyone who works here.
The entire tour takes place in a single room, and then you're off to sample several different varieties of SOL whiskey and vodka, along with a whiskey-infused cocktail or two. We loved the seasonal "Summer Release," and to make matters even better, the packaging is so darn cool; the bottles make a sculptural addition to your liquor collection.
The whole experience, a lively mixture of enlightenment and intoxication, is well worth the $10 tour fee. While the goods themselves are not available onsite at the distillery, there are a number of locations throughout the region where they can be found. In the meantime, visit the little powerhouse of a local business where the product originates, whet your whistle and make note of your favorite for picking up on the way home. I'm so excited to have made the acquaintance of the cool, smart and friendly guys at Sons of Liberty, a Rhody neighbor. I hope that we start to see a heck of a lot more of them, a heck of a lot more often!
Dan, who is one of the owners, gave us our tour yesterday. Very funny and passionate about the business. My only slight complaint is that we had some people in the group who had some technical questions about the distilling process and the equipment near the still. He really didn't know too much about that part of it and laughed it off. Ok for me because I don't care about that stuff, but a small place like this attracts people who are really into that sort of thing. It would help to have the distilling people on hand if possible to answer questions.
But honestly that's being picky. He covered the whole process and that copper still is a work of art. My hubby's grandfather was a moonshiner in Tennessee, so they had fun talking about that.
The whiskey was very good (according to my hubby). I cannot drink the stuff, even good whiskey like this. The vodka is DANGEROUS! The smoothest I have ever tasted. The cucumber mint was ok straight, I think it would shine in a mojito or as the nice bartender said, mixed with Sprite. The dark chocolate/vanilla was insane. No sugar in any of them, but just a smooth mellow flavor (they roast their own cacao beans!). This would make the world's best chocolate martini and it wouldn't be sicky sweet. Â Again...dangerous!!
The tour is free, $10 covers 6 generous pours of whiskeys, vodkas and one of the whiskey made into their signature manhattan. Plus you keep the glass - well worth it!
I am completely transformed from a kettle one, absolut, pinnacle girl to a Sons of Libetry, infused vodka and whiskey drinking girl!!! For one, it tastes amazing! Not like those other fruity, sugary, liquors. Also, it is a local business that uses all locally grown products! I was very impressed by the tour (they're very generous with the pours during the tasting) Also, the passion that they have in their company really shows in the quality of their  products. 5 stars in my book!
Review Source:We had a great tour here. I'm not a big whiskey fan but my husband is, and we both enjoy vodka. The whiskey was VERY good. Especially to this non whiskey drinker and the vodka especially so. They mentioned gin on the horizon. Cannot wait! Love supporting local distillers. Only sad part is not being able to support them directly by buying direct. Hopefully the laws change soon!
Review Source:I am NOT a whiskey drinker. Â Lets get that out of the way before I start. Â My buddy got a Living Social deal for this place so I tagged along on Saturday. Â Normally $10 gets you in for the tastings and "Tour". Â It's one room but the guide jumps from machine to machine explaining the process. Â It was actually pretty interesting. Â The tastings? Â Not too shabby for $10. Â We tasted 2 whiskeys, 2 vodkas(plain and Cucumber mint) and a manhattan. Â Plus..you get to keep your glass. SCORE!!! Â If you're a whiskey drinker than i HIGHLY recommend hitting this place up.
Review Source:Great spirits, good people. Nice little tour and some crazy cool old guy named Charlie putting labels on the bottles that added some additional character to the place.
Got to love a business where the people obviously pour everything they have into their craft. And their stuff is really good. The experimental stuff that they rejected is better than most of the other companies stuff you see on the liquor store shelves.
Nice place, but not a lot to see. Â What made the tour enjoyable was the passion for and knowledge of the tour guide/owner. Â You know it is a small place when the owner/tour guide's young son is hanging out with Grandpa for fun! Â
They were very free with the pours on the their samples, which I thought was very nice and the glass to keep was nice as well. Â The gentleman pouring the drinks offered to let my husband and I share. Â No worries on that one - me and whisky don't mix well. Â
They offered a small assortment of paraphernalia from shirts and glasses to a mini keg. Â I like that very much as you can't find the mini barrels around that often and my husband lit up when he saw that they were for sale. Only problem was we both got a Yelp coupon for checking in. Â When we asked to use it, they looked at us like we had two heads. Â They were polite, but they didn't have an knowledge of what Yelp was or where this 25% coupon came from. Â Ooops, marketing guy...you might want to tell the staff in advance so they aren't taken back when Yelpers ask for their discount!
Sons of Liberty is a distillery that makes several whiskies and vodkas. They're still relatively new so if you don't see their whisky at your local packy yet, you may begin to see more of their products on shelves further and further away from RI as time goes on. In the meantime, you should take a day trip and make this one of your stops.
Tours are free and can be as detailed as you'd like them to be, so ask lots of questions! The partner who does the tours is very open about their process and easy to engage. If you're a brewer, or maybe even a winemaker, you'll have lots to talk about.
The facility itself is small, two rooms, and a "tour" only takes about ten minutes. For ten bucks afterward you get a small Sons of Liberty tasting glass to keep and can belly up to the tasting bar to try all of the spirits on hand. When we went, there were a few vodkas and a few whiskies, many of which were exclusive samples you can only try at the distillery. If you're a whisky nerd, you need to check this out.
There's a small gift shop but you can't buy any of the spirits here per state law.
I took my dad and a friend to Sons of Liberty a few Saturdays ago. Â It was a great way to spend the afternoon. Â We arrived around 2pm and within about 15 minutes there was a tour starting. Â We toured the distillery and then had a tasting. Â For $10 per person you're able to taste 8 different samples - both whiskey and vodka. Â The technical aspects of the distilling process are interesting but the story of the guys who started this place is really cool. Â It is great to support a small, local business.
Review Source:Fun, informative, professional, unique - top notch. The tour and hospitality were AWESOME! I attended many months ago for an alumni event and they rolled out the red carpet for our group of 50+. Â Full spread of food, great conversation, and naturally, great alcohol. A highlight of my spring. We were able to sample more than just 4 types of whiskey and vodka, and were were even encouraged to try some of the "mess up," experimental batches, which I thought was super cool. Â
The giant copper distiller, imported from Kentucky, is a sight to behold. Â I had no idea that whiskey starts off as beer and that so many variables contribute to a whiskey's unique qualities. Â Mike is a total nerd - passionate and knowledgeable about his product. Â Passion for whiskey + fancy MBA = distillery. Â Obviously!! But all the staff were passionate about the product and the process. Â All very professional and knowledgeable. Â I got the sense that they all care about the business as far more than just a job.
At $40 a liter, it's an investment, but Son's of Liberty is a favorite gift to bring to out of state friends if I'm visiting for the weekend or another special occasion. Â Simply perfect: an authentic piece of RI, supporting a young, independent venture, and a gift that can be shared socially and lasts a long time (depending on the company!)
Next time I'm entertaining, I will definitely suggest a trip to South Kingstown to revisit Son's of Liberty. Â In the meantime, I'm headed to Bottles to get myself another handle to have on hand at home.
But remember, they don't sell whiskey at the distillery, but their website is informative and offers a full list of all of the restaurants and liquor stores in the area that currently carry it.
Enjoyed a great little tour of RI's first whiskey distillery. The owners were more then hospitable and informative.
The tour itself lasted about 10-15 minutes, and they were courteous enough to host a tour just for me and my girlfriend. We got to learn about how whiskey actually starts as beer, and how Sons of Liberty is one of the first distilleries ever to make theirs from stouts and ales (rather then a bud light type product). They not only gave a detailed description of their unique process, but also provided an up-close look at their one-of-a-kind copper machinery.
At the conclusion of the tour, we were directed towards the bar area, where for just $10 we were able to sample their cucumber-mint vodka, and four different whiskey varieties. Obviously, we only indulged in small tastes, as we were driving- but Mike seemed more then happy to let those that weren't driving have a more generous sample.
All in all, I would highly recommend taking an afternoon off and driving down to South Kingstown for this great new artisanal distillery. We made a day of it, and enjoyed lunch at a nearby restaurant.
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