Sons of Liberty Distillery

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.  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!

I brought the boy here for part of an anniversary gift since he is such a whisky buff. We went on a random Wednesday (they only do tours wed & sat) so we had our own privet tour. $20 got us cute little glasses and 3 vodka and 2 (or 3) whiskey tastes. We both were super happy we went!

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.  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!