A small craft distillery tucked away in the White Mountains has just proven it can compete with the biggest names in spirits from around the globe. Cathedral Ledge Distillery in North Conway, New Hampshire, walked away from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition with an armful of medals, including the competition's most coveted honor—a double gold.
The results came as a clean sweep for the local operation. All five spirits Cathedral Ledge entered into the competition earned recognition from the panel of expert judges. The haul spanned the full range of medal categories, showcasing the distillery's versatility and consistent quality across different spirit styles.
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition has been around since 2000, making it the oldest spirits competition in the industry. It's also the largest, and widely considered the most prestigious. Winning here means something. The judges are experts, the competition is fierce, and the process is rigorous. Spirits are tasted blind, so reputation and marketing don't factor in. It's purely about what's in the bottle. When the competition draws over 5,000 entries from 73 countries, as it did in 2025, any recognition carries serious weight.
Image credit: Cathedral Ledge Distillery
The star of Cathedral Ledge's lineup proved to be their Organic Barrel-Rested Gin, which earned a double gold medal. That designation isn't handed out lightly. To earn it, every single judge in the blind tasting has to independently award the spirit a gold medal rating. No dissenting opinions. Complete consensus. The barrel-rested gin didn't just win a double gold, either. It was ranked as the second best barrel-aged gin in the entire world. For a distillery operating out of North Conway, that's the kind of recognition that turns heads. Barrel-aged gin itself is a relatively niche category. Traditional gin is unaged, bottled shortly after distillation to preserve the bright botanical flavors. Aging gin in barrels adds complexity—picking up notes from the wood, mellowing the juniper, and introducing new layers of flavor. Done poorly, it can muddy the spirit. Done well, as Cathedral Ledge has proven, it creates something exceptional.
Image credit: Cathedral Ledge Distillery
The Bottled in Bond Organic Rye took home a gold medal, putting it in elite company among rye whiskeys from around the world. Bottled in bond is a designation that requires the spirit to be aged at least four years, bottled at 100 proof, produced in a single distilling season by one distiller at one distillery, and aged in a federally bonded warehouse. It's a mark of quality and tradition that dates back over a century. For an organic rye to meet these stringent requirements while also impressing judges enough to earn gold shows serious skill in the distilling process. Rye whiskey has experienced a renaissance in recent years, with craft distillers rediscovering and refining techniques that had fallen out of favor during bourbon's dominance.
Image credit: Cathedral Ledge Distillery
Cathedral Ledge's Organic Gin earned a silver medal in the competition. While it may have been overshadowed by its barrel-aged cousin's double gold performance, a silver medal in a field of over 5,000 entries is nothing to dismiss. This gin represents the distillery's take on the classic spirit, showcasing the botanicals without the influence of barrel aging. It's a testament to their ability to craft both traditional and innovative expressions of the same base spirit.
Image credit: Cathedral Ledge Distillery
The Bottled In Bond Organic Bourbon brought home a bronze medal. Bourbon is America's native spirit, and the competition in this category is particularly fierce. Craft distillers are up against established Kentucky operations with centuries of tradition and massive production capabilities. For a New Hampshire distillery to earn recognition in this category shows they're doing something right with their organic approach to bourbon making. Like their rye, this bourbon meets the bottled in bond standards, ensuring a minimum age and proof that serious whiskey drinkers look for.
Image credit: Cathedral Ledge Distillery
Rounding out the medal count, Cathedral Ledge's Organic Maple Liqueur also earned a bronze. This spirit represents something distinctly New England—combining the craft distilling tradition with the region's famous maple syrup production. Liqueurs often get overlooked in spirits competitions that tend to focus on whiskeys, gins, and vodkas, but a bronze medal here shows the distillery isn't just focused on the classics. They're creating spirits that reflect their local character and ingredients.
Owners Christopher and Tracy Burk made the trip out to San Francisco for the Top Shelf 2025 Awards Gala, where The Tasting Alliance honored the double gold winners. The two-day event brought together master distillers and industry professionals from across the world. Attendees networked, attended educational sessions, and celebrated the craft distillers who are pushing the boundaries of what spirits can be.
Tracy Burk reflected on the experience with measured pride. "It is a true honor for our locally made spirits to earn these accolades, alongside other outstanding spirits being distributed worldwide," she said.
The Burks live and work in North Conway, and their approach to distilling reflects a deep connection to the place. Cathedral Ledge Distillery bills itself as New England's premier organic distillery, and they're serious about that claim. Every spirit they produce is handcrafted from grain to glass using water from the White Mountains. All their products carry USDA organic certification and are gluten-free.
Sustainability isn't just a buzzword for Cathedral Ledge, either. The distillery was the first to receive recognition from BetterBev for its commitment to sustainable practices. In an industry where mass production often trumps environmental concerns, that kind of dedication stands out.
The distillery operates a tasting room at 3340 White Mountain Highway in North Conway, open seven days a week for retail sales, tastings, and tours. For anyone interested in trying award-winning spirits made with local water and organic ingredients, it's worth the visit.
What makes Cathedral Ledge's success particularly impressive is the scale. This isn't a massive operation with distribution deals spanning continents. It's a small, locally focused distillery that happens to make spirits good enough to compete—and win—on the world stage. The double gold for the barrel-rested gin is proof that quality doesn't require corporate backing or global reach. Sometimes it just takes pristine water, organic ingredients, and people who know what they're doing.
The competition results also highlight the growing reputation of American craft distilleries. While bourbon and rye have long been American staples, gin has traditionally been associated with Europe. For a New Hampshire distillery to claim the second-best barrel-aged gin in the world is a statement about how far the American craft spirits movement has come.
The White Mountains have long been known for natural beauty and outdoor recreation. Now they're also home to world-class spirits. Cathedral Ledge Distillery is putting North Conway on the map in a new way, showing that great spirits can come from anywhere—as long as the water is pure, the ingredients are carefully sourced, and the people behind the stills know their craft.
For those keeping score, that's one double gold, one gold, one silver, and two bronzes from a distillery most people outside New England have probably never heard of. The San Francisco World Spirits Competition just told the world they should change that.
