15 Whiskey Distilleries in Unexpected Places

Whisky Has Left Scotland

Whisky is no longer a Scottish, Irish, American and Japanese affair. Distilleries now operate in dozens of countries, from Mexican mountain tops to Tasmanian harbors and the Himalayan foothills. Trade publications and travel writers have been tracking this new world of whisky, and the fifteen below are among the most interesting. Different climates, grains and traditions mean each place develops a distinct style, and some distilleries have won major international awards. Counts of whisky-producing countries vary between studies, with figures of 35 and nearly 50 outside the traditional four being cited, so treat the numbers as rough. What these distilleries share is a willingness to do something new with an old craft.

Abasolo, Mexico

Abasolo was launched in 2020 by Casa Lumbre, the company that also makes Montelobos mezcal. It is made from a heritage corn called cacahuazintle that is nixtamalized, a process said to be 4,000 years old. The whisky ages at a distillery in Jilotepec at 7,800 feet, which is one of the highest in the world. Using nixtamalized corn is highly unusual and connects the spirit to the ancient tradition of tortilla making. The result is a rich, corn-forward whisky that tastes unlike any bourbon. It is a good example of how local ingredients can reshape a familiar category.

Rampur, India

Rampur was established in 1943 in the Himalayan foothills, making it the oldest distillery in India. It is now owned by Radico Khaitan. Because of the Himalayan climate, the whisky matures faster than most. Indian single malts have won international acclaim in recent years, and the country has become a major force in world whisky. Rampur's location combines cool mountain air and strong seasonal swings, which affect how the spirit interacts with the wood. The distillery shows that India's whisky story is much older than the recent boom suggests. It is a reminder that the country has been making spirits for generations.

Amrut, India

Amrut was founded by Jagdale in 1948 as Amrut Distilleries, and its single malt brand was introduced on 24 August 2004. Based in Bangalore, it uses Indian barley and a hot climate that speeds maturation. Its flagship, the Amrut Fusion, has received numerous awards and accolades. The brand is now found in nearly 50 countries and has a wide and innovative core range. Amrut helped change the perception of Indian whisky in the world, showing that a tropical climate could produce serious single malt. The name means nectar of the gods in Sanskrit.

Sullivans Cove, Tasmania

Sullivans Cove was founded in 1996 in Hobart, a former penal colony in Tasmania. Its motto is Distilled with Conviction. Its 2014 French oak cask single malt put Australian whisky on the map, winning a world's best single malt prize. Only about 70 casks are filled each year, which makes it a small producer. Tasmania's cool, damp climate and pure water suit whisky making, and the island has become a hotbed of craft distilling. Several distilleries there make whisky from local barley. Sullivans Cove is the most lauded, a model for what a small producer on the far side of the world can achieve.

Starward, Melbourne

Starward was founded in 2007 and is based in Port Melbourne, Australia. Starward Nova is made entirely from Australian barley and matured in re-coopered Apera barrels, Apera being Australian fortified wine. The distillery uses the city's temperature swings to speed maturation, aging whisky in a warehouse on the edge of the city. Its use of wine barrels from Australian producers gives the whisky a distinct fruity character. The brand has become one of the best known craft whisky names in the country. It shows that a city distillery can make a distinctive product by embracing local conditions.

Cardrona, New Zealand

Cardrona Distillery sits 530 meters above sea level at the base of the Southern Alps in New Zealand's South Island. The valley has low year-round humidity and larger seasonal temperature swings than most whisky regions. The distillery uses traditional Scottish methods, a mash of locally grown malted barley and water from the Cardrona Valley. Its fermentation tanks are neither insulated nor temperature controlled, which favors esters and a floral, honeyed spirit. Its remote location complicates demand forecasting and raises freight costs. The Falcon is matured in Oloroso sherry, bourbon and pinot noir barrels. Founder Desiree Reid and master distiller Sarah Elsom lead the operation.

Cotswolds, England

The Cotswolds Distillery in south-central England sources all of its barley from nearby English farms. It uses a traditional floor malting process and slow distillation in copper pot stills. The spirit matures in a mix of casks, including first-fill bourbon barrels and red wine barrels. The whisky has a fruit-forward profile that is less sweet than many. Marketing manager Lucy Ellis says the English climate gives bolder extraction and richer notes. England was long overlooked as a whisky-making country, and the Cotswolds shows what a local approach can achieve. The honey-colored stone buildings are part of the appeal.

Penderyn, Wales

Wales had not commercially produced whisky for 100 years before Penderyn began sales in 2004. The distillery uses Brecon Beacons water and a Faraday copper still, an unusual design created by David Faraday. It has an all-female distilling and blending team, led by Laura Davies. Penderyn aims to insert Wales in the conversation alongside Scotland and Ireland. The still produces a light, fruity spirit in a single run. The distillery is a source of Welsh pride and a reminder that Celtic whisky traditions extend beyond Scotland and Ireland. Its Dragon logo and Welsh name give it a distinct identity.

Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra was founded in 1999 by eight friends on a ski trip, near Gävle, about 110 miles north of Stockholm. It won European Whisky of the Year in the 2011 edition of The Whisky Bible. The Gävle site has much of the whisky making process run by gravity, built vertically down a hillside. Its Svensk Ek is partly aged in Swedish oak from Visingsö island. A writer quoted in one article says Scandi whisky is a force to be reckoned with. Mackmyra turned a friendly idea into one of Europe's best-known new distilleries, and has inspired a Nordic whisky scene.

Stauning, Denmark

The Stauning Whisky Distillery was founded in 2005 by nine friends in a former butcher's shop on the windswept west coast of Jutland. It sources its rye and barley from the immediate vicinity of the distillery and has its own traditional floor maltings, a unique feature among modern distilleries. The focus on rye makes it distinctive, in a country with a long history of rye bread. Danish whisky is a small but growing category. Stauning shows how a group of enthusiasts can create a serious producer from a small-town setting. The windy, flat landscape of Jutland is part of the story.

Flóki and Eimverk, Iceland

Flóki is Iceland's first single malt, made by Eimverk Distillery in Garðabær near Reykjavík. The distillery also makes a young malt smoked with dried sheep dung instead of peat, a distinctly Icelandic twist. It uses Icelandic organic barley, which contains little starch, so around 50 percent more barley has to be used per bottle of whisky. The cold climate and local ingredients give the spirit a unique character. A study found that Namibia, Liechtenstein, Italy, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, China and Argentina each have a single distillery. Iceland's example shows that whisky can be made almost anywhere with determination.

Alfred Giraud, France

Alfred Giraud was founded by the fifth generation of a family that made cognac for four generations. It started making whisky with master blender Georges Clot. The Heritage expression is aged in ex-cognac casks as well as American and French oak. France produces about 700,000 bottles of its own whisky every year, and more than 40 whisky distilleries operate in the country. The approach shows how a long history in brandy can shape a new category. Cognac casks add fruit and spice, and French oak adds depth. It is whisky made by people who understand wood and patience.

M&H, Israel

M&H is Israel's first whisky distillery, located in Tel Aviv and founded in 2012 with guidance from the late Dr. Jim Swan, an expert in warm-climate distilling. Its Apex Pomegranate is the first and only single malt aged in a pomegranate wine cask. The warm Mediterranean climate speeds maturation, and the use of local wine casks gives the whisky a unique profile. Jim Swan also advised Kavalan in Taiwan, and his work helped show that hot climates could make fine whisky. M&H demonstrates how ideas from one region can be applied in another. It is a modern whisky with an old-world consultant.

Olta, Mexico

Olta Whisky is made in Michoacán, Mexico, at 7,000 feet in a cold, mountainous, volcanic area. It uses a mash bill of 80 percent corn and 20 percent malted barley, both locally grown. The whisky is aged in añejo tequila barrels, giving vanilla and floral notes. The natural water is said to help the corn's flavor. The production team is all female, and founder and CEO Selene Nestor says they carry generational knowledge. The distillery shows how whisky can emerge in a country best known for agave spirits, using local grain and barrels from the region's other great tradition.

WhistlePig, Vermont

WhistlePig launched on an old dairy farm in Shoreham, Vermont. Master distiller Dave Pickerell started the brand in 2007 with old Canadian rye barrels, and the distillery opened in 2015. It also uses oak from trees on its own property. A farm in New England is an unexpected setting for rye whiskey, which traditionally came from Pennsylvania and Maryland. The brand has become known for aged rye and for its quirky name. It is proof that a distillery does not have to be in the traditional whiskey belt to succeed. The Vermont hills and old barns give the brand a farm-to-glass character.

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