Our Values
SUSTAINABILITY
Every decision we make is viewed through the lens of sustainability.
Starting with the design of our building, all of our processes, and our packaging. Distilling is inherently energy intense, which makes it even more important to be conciencious of how we conduct ourselves. Our building and equipment was designed to be as efficient as possible, and we continue to optimize through investments such as our grain handling system that eliminates the vast majority of our supply side single use packaging, and a solar array that provides all of our electricity needs. We insist on bringing reusable tasting glasses to off-site events, such as farmers’ markets and all of our products are packaged in 100% post consumer recycled bottles without plastic tamper seals, as we strive to drive down single use packaging. The two free-to-use electric vehicle chargers have nothing to do with distillery operations, they are just our way of helping others to reduce their footprint.
Reconnecting with, and furthering our agrarian heritage has been a driving force in the formation and growth of Cathedral Ledge Distillery.
Small family owned farms used to be ubiquitous in New England. Sadly, seeing one today is a rare treat. We choose to have a traditional timber frame barn built to house our operation, much like the ones that housed the first stills in America. We cherish the opportunity to work directly with the farmers that grow our grains and botanicals, and recycle our production waste back into the ecosystem.
AGARIAN HERITAGE
HONESTY &
TRANSPARENCY
Our commitment to honesty & transparency permeates through everything we do.
From the way we communicate, our insistence on only using real, naturally occuring ingredients, to the fact that we make all of our spirits in our timber framed barn with nothing but a glass wall seperating us from the public. When we tell people that we never add artificial flavours, colors, preservatives or sweeteners to our products, and that they are all hand crafted from grain to glass at our facility, that means always, with no exception. All of our products are inherently gluten free, but we have them all tested and verified by a third party lab before putting it on our labels.
Making the highest quality spirits possible has always been a top priority.
It began with our search for a high quality water source. We are proud to say that our pristine water runs off Mount Washington down through our backyard and arrives so pure, that we do not need to filter it, allowing us to leave the local minerals in. In combination with our high quality organic ingredients, we use traditional craft distilling techniques. Our whiskeys are twice distilled in a pot still - no columns, thumpers, or cold-filtering - and aged in 53 gallon White American Oak barrels in our barns. Our vodka (which also serves as the base of our gins and liqueur) is finished on New Hampshire’s tallest vodka column, and contains no “mouth-feel” additives.
HIGHEST QUALITY SPIRITS
USDA CERTIFIED
Being New Hampshire’s only USDA certified organic distillery is the capstone of all of our values.
Organic farming requires much more forethought and is inherently better for the environment, as it improves soil quality, pollinator habitat, biodiversity and carbon sequestration while reducing fossil fuel use, erosion, and chemical runoff. There are far fewer suppliers of certified organic grains and botanicals, which only increases the importance of working closely with our farm partners. The USDA program is a rigous, audited program. We can trace all of our ingredients, in each batch, back to the farm of origin and forward for five years. While laxed labeling terms such as "all natural" are fraught with abuse, the standards of the USDA program are strictly enforced. So when you see the USDA seal, you can be confident that our products are completely GMO free, and contain no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or cleaning products. And yes, we sincerely believe that by working mindfully with pristine water and exceptionally curated grains and botanicals, we can offer our consumers spirits of the highest quality.