Bar Hill, Montpelier, Vermont

Bar Hill makes award winning gin, and they have the unique starting ingredient of honey as the source of fermented sugar. They started off in the Northeast Kingdom, a rural part of the state, even by Vermont standards, but with success they expanded their operation and are now located in a facility of thier own making on Gin Lane on the outskirts of town in Montpelier. There is a restaurant, craft cocktail bar, and most appealing to us, a tasting room. We very much enjoyed tasting the variety of gin and vodka products they make, and because we were flying and hoping not to check bags, they have 100cc bottles available to take home in a carry on bag. The facility is as lovely as what they make and I would recommend adding this as a stop if you are in central Vermont or driving through. It is easy to get to off I-89 and well worth it. Montpelier has a lot to offer besides Bar Hill, and is also recommended. The independent bookstore, Bear Pond Books, was featured in a recent New York Times article on independent book stores and the resident animals they have--in addition to books, there is a store cat as well.