Elm Brook Farm Distilled Spirits

I spoke with David Howe, owner of Elm Brook Farm & Distillery at the Burlington Farmers Market this weekend.
In recent years there have been many new Vermont spirit companies popping out the woodwork, including Whistlepig rye whiskey, Caledonia gin and vodka, and many others, so I asked David how his Maple Spirit and Sipping Vodka are different. David explained to me that his products are one of the very few amongst the crowd of competitors that actually use Vermont products and are distilled in Vermont. For example, Whistlepig Whiskey which is now extremely popular locally and thought of as a Vermont product, grows its rye and distills its whiskey in Canada. Elm Brook Farm uses maple grown on its Vermont farm and its own farm-​based distillery to create its unique spirits, making it one of the very few Vermont spirits (not wine and beer) that’s actually truly from Vermont.
David was selling his two offerings, Rail Dog Barrel-​Aged Maple Spirt and Literary Dog Vodka, at the market and I asked him to tell me more about them.
Rail Dog Barrel-​Aged Maple Spirit is created from Vermont maple grown on Elm Brook Farm. Tasting somewhere between cognac and whisky, it has flavors of vanilla and almond without the harshness associated with other aged spirits. Rail Dog is aged in American Oak barrels from Minnesota where the winters are long and cold so the tree rings are tight and protect the alcohol from air or moisture while it steeps in the oak flavors from the charred and toasted barrels.
Literary Dog 23X-​Distilled Vodka is small-​batch artisanal vodka that begins with Elm Brook Farm maple sap. The slow distilling process produces a vodka that is smooth while maintaining the subtle characteristics of toffee and cream with a hint of sweet maple. Given this unique taste, LD Vodka is considered a sipping vodka and is meant to be sipped slowly to enjoy the flavor.
The Farmers Market has so many interesting and diverse offerings. If you stop to speak to the owners that sell their wares there, you are sure to hear interesting stories and find that their products often are more than you might expect. This was the case for me when I stopped to learn more about Elm Brook Farm’s delicious products.
If you are interested in trying Elm Brook Farm’s spirits, you can find them at:
The Burlington Farmers’ Market located at City Hall Park 8:30am — 2:00pm every Saturday from May 10 to October 25, 2014;
The Stowe Farmers Market located on Rte. 108, Mountain Road about 2 miles from the intersection of Rte. 100 and Rte.108, next to the Red Barn Shops and across from The Stoweflake Resort from 10:30am — 3:00pm Sundays: June 1, 15, 29; July 13, 27; August 3, 17, 31; September 14, 28; and October 12, 2014; and
At the Elm Brook Farm distillery in East Fairfield, Vermont. You can contact them at
to schedule an appointment as they do not keep regular hours.