A Quick Guide to the Bozeman Distilleries in Montana
Whether you are heading to Montana to lose yourself in nature or just passing through, a stop at the Bozeman distilleries should be on your bucket list.
We spent 2 weeks in Bozeman and really enjoyed their alcohol scene including their breweries!
Psst: We have a bunch of guides about Montana. Browse them all here or see the most popular posts below:
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Conveniently located right downtown and next to one of Bozeman’s many breweries, stop by this Bozeman distillery for a taste of some Montana whiskey, vodka, huckleberry vodka, gin, rum, and even agave.
Their menu sums up everything you need to know about Montana: Drink Responsibly, be kind to your neighbor, and most importantly, don’t feed the bears!
Wildrye Distilling is one of the finest Bozeman distilleries and one of the top whiskey producers in the US.
They produce a full lineup of spirits, including gin, vodka, rum, an apple pie spirit, and of course, bourbon and rye whiskey. Their Five Drops Bourbon Whiskey is so popular that it was recently featured in a Whiskey Advocate article as “Montana’s whiskey.”
Why is it so popular? Wildrye specializes in producing spirits made with Montana-grown ingredients, whenever possible.
They believe in the support local campaign and letting the uniqueness of Montana’s landscape and flora define what you taste….something that is uniquely Montana!
Case in point, in the Five Drops Bourbon, they use fresh sweetcorn (different from the dried corn used in most bourbons and whiskeys) that is picked from the family farm in Corvallis, Montana.
Their bourbon-aging process uses smaller oak barrels which speeds up the aging timeline (more wood touching less whiskey) but still results in an incredibly smooth and delicious bourbon.
More than just a bourbon producer, Wildrye’s Old Tom Gin is made with Montana-grown juniper and is absolutely delicious! It’s a bit sweeter than your normal London Dry gins, but can be used for either bright cocktails or the more traditional herbal classics.
During your next western National Parks swing, stop by and try Wildrye’s full lineup of spirits and cocktails while gazing at the production process right behind you.
All of the products at Dry Hills Distillery, which is just outside of Bozeman in Four Corners, are sourced off of the family farm, creating true Montana farm-to-bottle products, including several variants of vodka, gin, and whiskey.
Some of their mottos: “Work hard. Be humble. Drink local.” And “We grow good times.”
On a hot summer day, we enjoyed the Spicy Watermelon Mule, which was made with Serrano vodka and fresh watermelon juice, and a Whiskey Sour made with a rosemary ginger sour mix.
We even got a sneak peak at their fall menu with the 406 Sour made with their Double Barrel Gin. They proofed this gin down to 40.6% alcohol in honor of Montana’s sole area code, 406.
It was made with fresh cranberry purée and egg white. A perfect blend of earthy gin, tart cranberry, and frothiness.
Overall Bozeman Distilleries
The Bozeman distilleries each offer a unique experience and all distill some impressive spirits. While there are only 3, all of the Bozeman distilleries focus on supporting their local farmers and businesses and each bring the spirit of Bozeman into their tasting rooms and production.
We believe that you can learn a lot about a place through booze and the Bozeman distilleries are a great place to start to capture the spirit of Montana.
Looking for more on Montana’s alcohol scene? Check out our guides for breweries in Bozeman and Missoula breweries.
For more info on Montana and nearby, click on the picture below:
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We are Samantha & Chris and we are Boozing Abroad (literally). Together, we've traveled to over 40 states and 20 countries drinking local beers, wines and spirits along the way.
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Samantha and Chris fell in love with traveling together back in 2015. They met, married, and lived together in Richmond, VA for 7 years before becoming full-time travelers in 2020.
Along the way, they’ve traveled to over 40 U.S. states and 20 countries while drinking local beers, wines, and spirits during their journeys.
Join them as they share travel resources, stories, and guides based on their personal experiences drinking locally when traveling globally.