Tamworth Distilling, the New Hampshire craft distillery founded by Steven Grasse, has outlined a comprehensive sustainability program it says positions the brand as one of the most environmentally conscious distilleries in the world. The initiative includes a new zero-heating barrelhouse constructed entirely from locally sourced timber, alongside longstanding practices such as spent-grain recycling, regional ingredient sourcing, and charitable spirit releases.
The distillery produces its own neutral grain spirit base from organic corn, rye, and malt sourced from farms within a 150-mile radius. Spent grains are diverted to local farms for use as cow feed and compost, or sent to bakeries such as Sunnyfield Brick Oven Bakery, which incorporates the grain into a loaf called “Distiller’s Bread.”
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Tamworth’s on-site botanical garden and foraging program supply ingredients for its Tamworth Garden line of cordials and gins. The Black Trumpet Blueberry Cordial ($35, 50 proof, 375ml) features organic blueberries from Burke Hill Farm in Maine, garden-grown lavender and lemon verbena, and foraged black trumpet mushrooms from the New Hampshire Mushroom Company.
“I’m extremely proud of our sustainability efforts, especially with Tamworth Garden, where we challenge ourselves to draw inspiration from the natural world around us,” said Matt Powers, distiller at Tamworth Distilling. “We look to extend our backyard into the great outdoors for classic wild flavors, as well as collaborating with local farmers to source the freshest produce available.”
The distillery also produces House of Tamworth Crab Trapper Whiskey ($65, 92 proof, 200ml), made with invasive green crabs removed from New England coastlines in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire. The product generated widespread media coverage, including features on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, NPR, and Forbes.
Charitable giving is embedded in the portfolio. Each bottle of Chocorua Straight Rye Whiskey ($55, 90 proof, 750ml) directs $1 to the Chocorua Lake Conservancy.
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“My hope for Tamworth was always to find a sustainable way to highlight New Hampshire’s nature,” said Steven Grasse, founder and owner. “We’re always looking for new ways to collaborate with our community to create positive change in weird and wacky ways.”
To mark its 10th anniversary, the distillery built a new barrelhouse using wood sourced within 10 miles and milled by local craftsman Andrew Fast. The building requires no electric or gas heating, instead relying on passive solar design with transparent polycarbonate panels oriented to capture year-round sunlight.
“This isn’t about building bigger for the sake of it — it’s about building smarter, more sustainably, and more in tune with the land,” said Powers.
