The 10 Best American Craft Whiskey Distilleries Right Now

American craft whiskey has matured into a serious category. What began as a wave of young distilleries producing unaged or minimally aged spirit has given way to a generation of producers with genuine age on their barrels, defined house styles and whiskeys that compete with the best major Kentucky and Tennessee distilleries. The 10 distilleries below represent the strongest the country has to offer outside the established giants.

10. Cedar Ridge Distillery

(Photo: Cedar Ridge)

Founded in 2005 in Swisher, Iowa by winemaker Jeff Quint, Cedar Ridge was Iowa’s first licensed distillery since Prohibition and remains the state’s most decorated. Quint’s winemaking background informs an approach to barrel selection and finishing that sets Cedar Ridge apart — the distillery’s Quintessential expression is a single malt finished in the distillery’s own wine barrels, a technique that has become a Cedar Ridge signature. The farm-to-bottle ethos is genuine: Cedar Ridge grows much of its own grain on surrounding Iowa farmland. Try: Quintessential Single Malt, Bottled-in-Bond Rye.

9. Woodinville Whiskey Co.

(Photo: Woodinville Whiskey)

Founded in 2010 in Woodinville, Washington by Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile, Woodinville takes advantage of the area’s dramatic temperature swings, accelerating maturation. The result is bourbon and rye with a rich, fruit-forward character that has earned consistent praise from major critics. Moët Hennessy acquired the brand in 2017, providing distribution scale without visibly altering the whiskey. Try: 8 Year Old Bourbon, Straight Rye Whiskey.

8. Middle West Spirits

(Photo: Middle West)

Founded in 2008 in Columbus, Ohio by Ryan Lang and Brady Konya, Middle West Spirits is making a wide range of spirits, from bourbon, to rye whiskey, to wheat whiskey, to gin, to vodka. The distillery has crafted a recognizable house style that’s rich and full of flavor. Middle West is one of the most underrated operations in American craft whiskey. Try: Cask Strength Bourbon, Double Cask Collection Ported Pumpernickel Rye Whiskey.

7. Balcones Distilling

(Photo: Balcones)

Founded in 2008 in Waco, Texas by Chip Tate — now on to other ventures — Balcones was among the first craft distilleries to produce whiskey that genuinely surprised critics trained on Scotch and Kentucky bourbon. Its use of blue corn — a heritage grain with a distinctly sweet, rich flavor profile — in its Texas Single Malt and Baby Blue Corn Whiskey gave Balcones a house style unlike anything else in American whiskey. The distillery expanded to a purpose-built facility in 2014, and under current master distiller Jared Himstedt has heavily focused on the burgeoning American single malt category, making some of the country’s finest malts. Try: Lineage Single Malt, Cataleja Single Malt.

6. Starlight Distillery

(Photo: Starlight Distillery)

Founded in 2012 on the Huber family farm in Borden, Indiana — a fruit farm and winery with roots going back to 1843 — Starlight Distillery brings an agricultural heritage to its whiskey that few craft operations can match. The distillery grows its own grain, mills on-site and ferments using its own yeast strains developed from the farm’s natural environment. Its Carl T. Bourbon, named for patriarch Carl Huber, has earned considerable critical recognition and represents one of the more compelling arguments for Indiana craft whiskey outside of MGP. Try: 10 Year Old Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon.

5. Westland Distillery

(Photo: Westland Distillery)

Founded in 2010 in Seattle, Washington by Matt Hofmann and Emerson Lamb, Westland set out to define what American single malt whiskey could be — and has done so more convincingly than almost anyone else in the category. Where most American whiskey draws on bourbon and rye traditions, Westland looks to Scotch production methods while using distinctly Pacific Northwest ingredients: Washington State barley, local peat from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and five different malts in its house mash.

Westland released a 10-year-old version of its iconic Garryana single malt — partially aged in barrels crafted from Quercus Garryana, a species of oak native to the Pacific Northwest — in 2025, marking a major milestone for the distillery. Try: Exploration Beer Cask Finish American Single Malt Whiskey, Solum.

4. Garrison Brothers Distillery

(Photo: Garrison Brothers)

Founded in 2006 in Hye, Texas by Dan Garrison, Garrison Brothers holds the distinction of being the first legal bourbon distillery in Texas and produces what it claims is the first legal Texas straight bourbon whiskey. The distillery sits on a full-blown Texas ranch and takes great advantage of the Texan climate; summers regularly exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which drives rapid extraction from the barrel and produces a distinctively rich, sweet, oak-forward style. The flagship Cowboy Bourbon, released annually at cask strength, has become one of the most sought-after craft releases in the country.

Garrison Brothers has, in my opinion, the most unique and distinctive profile in all of American whiskey. That makes it polarizing — many love it, others hate it — but one thing is certain: You need to taste it. Try: Small Batch Bourbon, Cowboy Bourbon Cask Strength.

3. Westward Whiskey

(Photo: Westward Whiskey)

Founded in 2004 in Portland, Oregon by Christian Krogstad, Westward produces American single malt using a brewing-influenced process — the distillery mashes, ferments and distills using craft beer techniques, including open fermentation with ale yeast, before aging in new American oak. The result is — in this writer’s opinion — America’s finest single malt whiskey: fruity, rich and approachable yet wildly complex.

Westward filed for bankruptcy last April but was saved by a new ownership group. Please support your favorite whiskey producers! Try: Milestone American Single Malt, American Single Malt Switchback Single Barrel.

2. Frey Ranch Distillery

(Photo: Frey Ranch)

Founded in 2014 in Fallon, Nevada by Colby and Ashley Frey on a fourth-generation family farm, Frey Ranch is the purest expression of grain-to-glass whiskey production in the United States. The Freys grow all four grains in their bourbon mashbill — corn, rye, wheat and malted barley — on the same 1,500-acre farm where the whiskey is distilled, aged and bottled. The Nevada high desert climate, with its wide temperature swings and low humidity, produces a maturation environment that drives deep barrel interaction. The resulting whiskeys are rich, dense and truly wonderful. Try: Single Grain Series 100% Wheat Whiskey, Five Grain Single Barrel Bourbon.

1. Still Austin Whiskey Co.

(Photo: Still Austin)

Founded in 2015 in Austin, Texas, Still Austin has built the most compelling case for craft whiskey in Texas and beyond. The distillery mills its own grain, ferments on-site using a proprietary open-air fermentation process and distills in a custom-built 50-foot column still — a setup designed to produce new make with more flavor and character than most craft operations achieve. The Bottled-in-Bond series, which includes expressions made from heritage grains like red corn and blue corn, has drawn serious critical attention and demonstrated that Texas craft bourbon can compete with Kentucky on quality and complexity.

Still Austin’s Tanager Cigar Blend — crafted with efforts led by nomadic master distiller Nancy Fraley — clocked in at eighth on our list of the 50 Best Bourbons of 2025. The Texas whiskey scene is one of America’s most exciting, and Still Austin is a major reason why. Try: Cask Strength Rye, Bottled-in-Bond Red Corn Bourbon, Tanager Cigar Blend.

Selections are chosen by The Daily Pour’s editorial team based on whiskey quality, production philosophy and overall contribution to the American craft distilling category.