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The second best spirits tasting room in America is in New England, according to USA Today readers
You'll find it in Vermont.
A spirits tasting room in Vermont narrowly missed being named the best in the nation.
USA Today released a list of the 10 best spirits tasting rooms in America on Wednesday, part of its 2025 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, and Smugglers’ Notch Distillery in Jeffersonville, Vermont ranked No. 2, second only to Sugarlands Distilling Company in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
The tasting rooms on the list “set themselves apart with an especially knowledgeable staff, compelling atmosphere, live music, or an irresistible selection of food,” wrote USA Today.
Here’s what the publication wrote about Smugglers’ Notch Distillery:
Smugglers’ Notch Distillery has won several awards for their unique spirits, which you can try at one of their several locations throughout Vermont. Their flagship distillery is in Jeffersonville, Vermont, next to the Smugglers’ Notch mountain pass. You can sample a number of their spirits, including their bourbon, which is blended with local maple syrup, or their vodka accented with Moroccan rose and grapefruit.
Smugglers’ Notch Distillery also made another USA Today list. It ranked among America’s 10 best craft vodka distilleries, along with two other Vermont spots: Smugglers’ Notch Distillery ranked No. 3; Vermont Spirits Distilling Co. in Quechee ranked No. 8; and Barr Hill in Montpelier ranked No. 9. The No. 1 craft vodka distillery is again Sugarlands Distilling Company.
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At the tasting room at Sugarlands, “treats include peanut butter or butter pecan sippin’ creams, or moonshines in flavors like apple pie and peach,” wrote USA Today.
For the 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards lists, USA Today travel experts select 20 nominees in topics from food to lodging, destinations to things to do. Then the publication asks readers to cast votes to determine the top 10.
Check out USA Today‘s list of the 10 best spirits tasting rooms in America.
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