New Vermont Distillery Run By Veterans For Veterans
Steve Gagner fills one of the first barrels of bourbon from Danger Close Craft Distilling. Courtesy of Danger Close Craft Distilling
It’s getting easier and easier to find top-notch, handcrafted whiskey, bourbon, vodka, and other spirits made right here in the United States. With more than 1,500 craft distillers across the country, the American spirits movement is on the rise, and in Vermont the industry is booming.
Over the past 15 years, the number of licensed distilleries in the Green Mountain State has increased nearly ten-fold: from just three to more than two-dozen.
But a new distillery in northern Vermont isn’t just manufacturing spirits. It’s raising the spirits of the community, especially when it comes to veterans.
In an industrial garage in Saint Albans, Steve Gagner uses an electric pump to transfer clear, strong-smelling liquid from a tank to a white-oak barrel.