Now, I have spent a lot of time in Maine and New Hampshire over the last decade and discovered some wonderful stuff. Chief among them was experiencing the wonderful whiskies and potables of Tamworth Distilling! I first found them at the New Hampshire State Liquor store on 95 going up to Maine. I would buy bottles of local whiskies, and bring them to the office for after hours tastings. I was so proud of myself for discovering Tamworth, but the folks in the office (many of whom lived in NH) all knew Tamworth already, They seemed to be a local favorite...and a well kept secret.
Tamworth seems to have gained a lot of attention for it's indefatigable spirit as well as their drinkable one. Their theme is, "small batch, scratch made spirit."
According to Tamworth, "Since the turn of the 20th century, Tamworth, New Hampshire has been a haven for artists, writers, thinkers and innovators – from Henry James and e.e. Cummings to President Cleveland. Our 250 gallon copper still was custom built by Vendome in Kentucky, and outfitted with a brandy helmet, whiskey column, gin basket, and rectifying column. These components give us the versatility to produce a variety of different products, and change batches with the seasons.
Unlike many producers of craft spirits, we distill our own neutral grain spirit base (rather than purchasing it from an industrial producer) from local organic corn, organic rye, and malt. All of our grains are sourced from farms within a ~150 mile radius during the harvest season, and milled in-house. Tamworth’s water comes from the Ossipee Stratified Aquifer, one of the purest sources on the East Coast.
In the Spring of 2017, Tamworth released their second aged whiskey: William Whipple’s Straight Winter Wheat Whiskey. According to Tamworth, "The name honors William Whipple, the representative from New Hampshire who signed the Declaration of Independence. Only 230 bottles were made available at our distillery...This particular mash bill is composed of 75% organic red wheat, 5% caramel wheat, 5% chocolate wheat, and 15% malted barley." (45% ABV; 90 Proof). Aged two years in oak.
This was an impressive whiskey. Now, I am a sucker for a wheated whiskey anyway. But this was special. Dark cocoa and wheat berries and molassas brown bread waft out of the glass. There's a slight smokiness, but the corn and wheat make this an incredibly smooth dram. Grade B maple and spice notes also accompany. A fantastic whiskey!
Old Hampshire Blended Applejack is a riff on classic old New Hampshire, colonial spirits. Tamworth starts with a blend of 100% grown and pressed New Hampshire Apples (including Crispin, Cortland, Macintosh, and Honeycrisp varietals) that are then fermented with wine yeast. Following the initial stages, the cider is then twice distilled in an alembic still before it’s finished with a two year charred barrel aging process. 945% ABV; 90 Proof).
Applejack is one of those plentiful bastard children of the liquor world - a brandy aged in whiskey casks. But this definitely tasted like a overly bourbon. The caramel color come across on the palate first thing. Hints of vanilla and cinnamon and spice dominate, as well as brown sugar and a long lingering smoothness. If you closed your eyes, you would have thought it was just a really smooth bourbon without the cereal notes. Lovely!!!
Chocorua Straight Rye Whiskey however, is the absolute star of the show. The whiskey is named for Mount Chocorua which is a 3,490 ft (1,060 m) mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the easternmost peak of the Sandwich Range. According to Wikipedia, "Although the mountain is not outstanding for its elevation, it is very rugged and has excellent views of the surrounding lakes, mountains, and forests. Mount Chocorua's bare summit can be seen from almost every direction and identified from many points throughout central New Hampshire and western Maine. Many hiking trails ascend the mountain. Scenic Chocorua Lake lies directly to the south.
The Chocorua legend tells of a Native American prophet or chief, Chocorua, who is supposed to have lived near the mountain at the dawn of white settlement, although no authentic records of his life are known to exist. The usual story—much of it drawn from a short work of fiction by Lydia Maria Child[7]—is that in about 1720 Chocorua was on friendly terms with settlers and in particular the Campbell family that had a home in the valley now called Tamworth. Chocorua was called away and left his son in the care of the Campbell family. The boy found and drank a poison that Mr. Campbell had made to eliminate troublesome foxes, and Chocorua returned to find his son had died. Chocorua, distraught with grief, pledged revenge on the family. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Campbell returned home one afternoon to find his wife and children had been slain. Campbell suspected Chocorua and pursued him up the mountain. Chocorua was wounded by a shot from Campbell's rifle and, uttering a curse upon the white settlers, he leaped from the summit to his death."
There are several literary versions this event. One is "Chocorua's Curse", by Lydia Maria Child, contained in The Token (1830). Another later source is John T. B. Mudge, The White Mountains: Names, Places & Legends.
Tamworth chose to reprint the poem Chocorua by Richard Salter Storrs Andros (1838) on the entire label. Quite fascinating. (The label is shot on all three sides. Click on each photo to enlarge and read the whole poem.)
Chocorua Straight Rye Whiskey is a straight rye whiskey, made from a single crop of organic rye grain from Maine distilled in the sour mash style. It openes up with hints of deep cherry and vanilla. There are hints of cereal and notes of brown bread and brown sugar before a big kicj of black pepper and a final slap of ginger bread. There are other hints of wood and other slight spices. This is easilly one of the better ryes made on the east coast and I would put this up against anything from Kentucky or Tennessee. This is a world class whiskey. Absolutely astounding. I keep pouring it and pouring it, not realizing how many times my companions and I kept drinking from the same bottle. I wanted to try it in a cocktail, but it seemed such a waste of fine whiskey. A touch of ice (maybe one cube) was fine. But that was as much as I wanted to do to this fine, fine whiskey. Astounding!
Tamworth Distilling is easily one of the best distilleries in New England. It used to be a well kept secret, but word is getting out. Now, you know. Get your hands on this stuff ASAP!