- Location: 5 Bartlett Farm Rd, Nantucket, MA 02554, US
- Contact: 508-325-5929
- Website: tripleeightdistillery.com
Triple Eight Distillery is known for producing first-rate small-batch spirits, including vodka, rum, gin, and whiskey. Using traditional methods, they put together local ingredients to produce exceptional products.
The distillery is registered under Cisco Brewers Inc Family, which also runs Nantucket Vineyard and Cisco Brewers. Dean Long, Melissa Long, Randy Hudson, Wendy Hudson, and Jay Harman founded and operate the trio.
The three companies came about at different times. The first entrant into the scene was Nantucket Vineyard in 1981, Cisco Brewers followed in 1985, then Triple Eight Distillery in 1997. The sister companies produce wine, beer, and spirits and operate within the same ground on Bartlett Farm Road.
Establishing the Triple Eight Distillery was quite a challenge compared to the rest. They needed several licenses, including one from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. After going through several hoops, they finally managed to get all licenses required and began distillation in the year 2000.
The first product from the distillery was notch whiskey. However, since whiskey takes some time to brew (a minimum of 5 years in the woods), they needed another product to keep them busy. Vodka sounded like the perfect product, but they needed more funds to facilitate its production. To solve this, they invited the public to buy futures on each Notch barrel and used the proceeds to produce the Triple Eight Vodka.
The vodka was made using organically grown corn and ultra-pure sand-filtered water. Its purity, triple distillation & gentle filtration processes resulted in a silky palate and smooth finish that quickly became popular. The vodka’s success encouraged them to produce other drinks, including rum, gin, and bourbon.
Like Triple Eight Vodka, most subsequent products have gained popularity and become customers’ favorites. They have also been featured in major news outlets such as Elle Magazine, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Boston Magazine, to name a few.
Though Triple Eight Distillery currently distributes its products to 12 states, its main market mainly stems from Nantucket’s residents and the thousands of visitors who frequent the island yearly. The distillery often hosts visitors eager to learn about its operations and taste its products. They also distribute their products to liquor stores, bars, and restaurants on the island and run a delivery service via Bridge Liquors.