Inspired by
the forest
Forager Distillery makes artisanal gins and rums using traditional equipment, innovative methods, and the finest ingredients.
Founded in 2015 and recently named the best distillery in Massachusetts by Yankee Magazine, Forager is tucked into the historic Greylock WORKS mill in the hills of North Adams.
Our gins and rums — which have won gold in international spirits competitions — are made by hand in small batches, using botanicals foraged in the forested mountains of the Berkshires. The aromas and flavors evolve with the seasons. From wildflowers to wild berries, black birch to fresh shoots, these spirits are always the expression of their time and place.
Picked by hand, in season
Ground ivy in April, elderflower in June, wild strawberries in July, spruce tips and black birch when the woods go quiet. The gin changes because the season does.
Hammered out of
copper, in Spain
Built to make aromatic, flavorful, smooth rums and gins — by hand, in the part of Europe with the longest history of distillation.
Up close you can still see the marks of the coppersmith's hammer. This kind of still is rare now because it isn't computer-automated: it needs someone with a good palate to work it carefully, every time.
Old recipes, worked until they're right
Our master distiller came to this from a career as a world-class athlete, and brought the same perfectionism and attention to detail with him.
Every recipe starts on a miniature version of the pot still and stays there — adjusted, tasted, adjusted again — until it earns its way onto the full equipment.
The still is the back bar.
Named for what we do
The bear on every bottle is out doing the same thing we are — walking the hills with a basket, taking what the season is offering.
He changes from bottle to bottle: gathering blackthorn in spring, tapping a barrel, lifting a honey dipper, turning the grinder. Ten labels, ten gatherings.
A mill worth an afternoon
Right next door you'll find the Berkshire Cider Project, with craft local ciders and a tasting room of their own, and STATE Food + Drink, serving farm-to-table food — which makes the mill a fine place to spend an afternoon or an evening.