10 Nevada distilleries brewing whisky, vodka, gin, even coffee liquor

These 10 Nevada distilleries stand out for their use of locally sourced or homemade ingredients and innovative brewing methods.

Nevadans are nothing if not resilient and enterprising, especially when it comes to booze. Distillers throughout the state have adapted to the dry and hot climate to create top-notch alcoholic beverages, beer, and cocktails, often opting for locally sourced or homemade ingredients.

From a distillery and farm growing all grains on-site to one with a revolutionary distilling method, here are 10 Nevada distilleries brewing whisky, vodka, and gin—even coffee liquor.

Frey Ranch Distillery

Location: 1045 Dodge Ln., Fallon

Nevada is home to one of the only distilleries in the country to grow all of its whiskey grains on-site. A 2,000-acre family farm with 170 years of farming history in Northern Nevada, Frey Ranch Distillery is also one of the West Coast’s largest whiskey producers. Its award-winning bourbons, ryes, and specialty whiskeys are available for purchase on site, at stores in 15 states, and online. Behind-the-scenes tours and tastings are also available.

Verdi Local Distillery

Location: 1155 Old Highway 40, Unit B, Verdi

Distilling started as a hobby and grew into a business for the folks at Verdi Local Distillery. Owned and operated by a husband and wife, the distillery’s original spirit is Apple Cinnamon Whiskey. The inventory has since expanded to include spirits with other original flavors like lemon, black licorice, pickles, peanut butter, coffee, and garlic. The distillery has a small-town vibe and offers tastings on an outdoor patio. It is currently closed but will reopen in August, according to Yelp.

10 Torr Vacuum Distillery

Location: 490 Mill St, Reno

Analytics meets alcohol at 10 Torr Distilling & Brewing, where a group of engineers and scientists discovered a revolutionary brewing and distilling method called vacuum distillation.  It allows the distillery to utilize lower temperatures—70°F, compared to the scorching 190°F—to reduce impurities and create smoother, purer spirits and cocktails. Small-batch spirits and beers are made with all-natural ingredients, many of which are sourced locally. Tours and tastings are available.

Las Vegas Distillery

Location: 7330 Eastgate Rd. Suite 100, Henderson

Recently opening in a renovated and retooled space, Las Vegas Distillery distills from raw grain to bottling on brand new, upgraded production equipment. The distillery often collaborates with local and national distillers and mixologists on its products, including house-made vodka, rum, bourbon, and even a coffee liquor, made with a house-distilled white rum base and coffee beans prepared by local roastery, Dark Moon Coffee Roasters. Customers can tour the distillery and taste the products in a Vegas-inspired tasting room with craft cocktails.

The Depot Craft Brewery Distillery

Location: 325 E. 4th St, Reno

Housed in a historic three-story brick building built in 1910, The Depot Reno is a distillery and restaurant with award-winning spirits, beers, and food. Once the headquarters for the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway, the distillery aims to preserve tradition and Nevada heritage while innovating whiskey, gin, beer, and bourbon through experimentation. Some beers and spirits are seasonal, while others, like the Biggest Little Bourbon, High Country Gin, and Ranch Hand beer, are available year-round.

High Mark Distillery

Location: 4690 Longley Ln., #28, Reno

Coming to Nevada by way of Alaska, High Mark Distillery & Barrel House started in a remote airplane hangar in 2010. Its founder was a flight instructor with a dream to open a distillery. She studied in Ireland before returning to Alaska to make her dream come true. In 2018, High Mark Distillery moved to Northern Nevada, where everything from moonshine and single-barrel bourbon to amaretto and limoncello is distilled. Ingredients for the spirits, from grain to fruit, come from family-owned farms in the Silver State. Private tastings and cocktail-making classes are offered at the distillery.

Desert Cane Distillery

Location: 921 NV-160 Suite 406, Pahrump

Putting the “rum in Pahrump,” Desert Cane Distillery is a small-batch, family-owned rum distillery that opened in 2020. The distillery uses sugar cane grown in town and other locally sourced ingredients, crafting its rum entirely in-house. Tastings and custom cocktails are available in the tasting room, while the facility is also available for groups and parties.

The Underground Distillery

Location: 300 Stewart Ave., Las Vegas

Take a trip back in time to the Prohibition era at the Underground Distillery, a distillery and speakeasy hidden in the basement of The Mob Museum. Peruse 1920s-era artifacts, enjoy Prohibition-era craft cocktails in the speakeasy, and visit the on-site distillery for a taste of the past. The working still continues to produce a one-of-a-kind buttery moonshine that can also be purchased at Lee’s Discount Liquor and Total Wine & More stores in Southern Nevada.

Underworld Distillery

Location: 5301 Longley Ln., Building F, Suite 203, Reno,

Friend and family-owned Underworld Distillery creates innovative rum, whiskey, gin, and specialty spirits on equipment designed and built by the distillery’s founder, a former journeyman electrician and tradesman. As such, the distillery is the first and only International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Union distillery. Underworld Distillery features a lounge on-site with gothic decor and spooky furniture, where customers can choose from a variety of cocktails and mocktails.

Comstock Distillery

Location: 140 Inventors Pl., Sparks

Holding Nevada’s first distilling permit and second federal permit number, Comstock Distillers thanks Nevada’s extreme climate for its unique award-winning products, such as limited-run whiskeys made with water from the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Cemetery Gin is a playful nod to an 1880s tradition in Virginia City to sanitize the town’s water with two parts gin. Many Comstock Distillery products are sold at Virginia City bars as well as stores in Nevada, California, and Texas. The distillery’s first product, an eggnog full of bourbon, shows up in stores seasonally.

Dovetail Distillery

Location: 31 Carry Way, Unit H, Mound House

Opened by a veteran chef with experience in top restaurants in New York City, Dovetail Distillery owes its existence to his mom’s homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. The owner became interested in distilling while creating a sauce for an oatmeal dish. Dovetail Distillery makes an unmatched oat whiskey with unique flavors that are perfect for use in cocktails. The double-distilled Betty tastes like spiced apple pie while Queen Bee is like an adult version of Honey Nut Cheerios. All drinks are a nod to Nevada’s early history, using ingredients that mirror those used by settlers and migrants.

Minden Mill Distilling

Location: 1601 Water St, Minden

Located in Nevada’s High Desert region, Minden Mill is one of the few US distillers to make its American Single Malt entirely on a single estate. Utilizing best-in-class stills and climate-controlled rickhouses, it is unmatched by other whiskey-making facilities. The grain-to-glass process utilizes local grain that can handle the area’s harsh climate and shorter growing season. Surrounded by mountains, Minden Mill is a short drive from Lake Tahoe. It is open to visitors for tours, tastings, and craft cocktails.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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