Made in Vermont: Smugglers’ Notch Distillery

JEFFERSONVILLE, Vt. (WCAX) – It’s bottling day at Smugglers’ Notch Distillery, with vodka on the production line. Vodka is the legacy liquor of this Jeffersonville operation, and the first spirit owner Jeremy Elliott ever made after jumping from a career in pharmaceutical science.

“My mind works very well with science… chemistry,” Elliott explains. “What could I do with my skill set that I currently had?”

When his old job announced they were closing up shop, he was determined to find a way to stay in Vermont while using his science skills. Turns out, alcohol was the answer.

“My goal was to make the world’s best vodka,” Elliott says.

An ambitious goal, but one that he was determined to make happen. In 2006, he started learning the ropes of distilling, bouncing around the country to learn the trade. Shortly after, he opened up Smugglers’ Notch Distillery with his dad, Ron.

“And in 2010 we were rated 95 in the Wine Enthusiast, Double Gold World Spirits Competition… so we have the highest-rated domestic vodka still to this day in the United States,” he says.

Now, his 12 other products follow closely behind. The lineup includes rum, bourbon, whiskey, and even canned vodka cocktails. Many of them are made in their Jeffersonville distillery. The success, Elliott says, is a science. Each product goes through extensive research and development before hitting shelves.

“It’s very important that when I got to market with one of my products that it is the best it can be,” he explains.

The proof is in the performance. With a staff of 28 people, Elliott estimates these products reach 100,000 customers per year. They’re available at liquor stores throughout the Northeast, or at their six tasting rooms in Vermont.

“When people come in to visit us and they get to sample our products and take some home, they have a story that goes home with them. What we’re selling is not only spirits, but the whole Vermont experience,” he says.

Bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup sits next to the stiff drinks in their Jeffersonville tasting room, stocked next to their stiff drinks. They work closely with local producers to stock that and make their other maple mixtures.

“I have a maple bourbon, I have a maple cream liquor, I have a bourbon maple cream liquor and I have a maple gin,” Elliott says.

But the real benefit of stopping into a tasting room, aside from the experience and selection, is the education. Teaching customers about what’s in their cocktails is something Elliott is passionate about… quite a pivot from pharmaceutical science, but one that’s certainly neat.

“This journey has been wild but it’s been so gratifying as well,” Elliott says with a smile.

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