We stopped in to this spot for a drink while in town. The space is a bar/retail shop and we had fun looking at all the stuff to buy - lots of mixers, bitters, drink-related gifts, and other items. We sat at the bar and relaxed - it was pretty quiet and we had the place mostly to ourselves for most of our visit. I ordered the raspberry shrub highball, Nate got the corn 'n oil, and my friend got the maple bourbon sour. It was fun watching the bartender mixing up our drinks, and she answered any questions we had. Very chill spot, and the drinks were tasty. I loved the super refreshing highball. They do serve snack boards and flights as well as their cocktails. I'm glad we stopped in and would come back again in the future! read more

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Our server was very friendly and super knowledgeable. My husband got a tasting and he even added in a free addition because he was talking to other customers about it. They also had cocktails made with their liquor, which was nice. It's a pretty eclectic place inside, in a good way. Very relaxed atmosphere. Define recommend checking it out if you're in the area and enjoy liquor. read more

Mad River Distillers - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

Cool place to get some spirits in Burlington. It has bottles to go, or you can sit at the bar and drink cocktails. Mad River is one of a few distilleries in town. Have a few of their liquors in a flight. The cocktails are expertly crafted, so get some of those as well. A lot of liquors to choose from. It's about $12 to get a cocktail, or you can get a flight of a few liquors. The best of the cocktails was the Bittersweet & Sacred. Has a bitterness, but there's also a sweetness to it. This is the straight bourbon made with Bennett Exorcism Bitters, Campari, elderflower liqueur, lime juice, and simple syrup. For sure go here if wanting to get some locally made liquors. It doesn't have food usually, but sometimes there's cheeseboards and snacks. The flights are a good option if wanting to try a few things. read more

Mad River Distillers - Bittersweet & Sacred - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

I came across Mad River Distillers on Groupon; I'm so glad I did! Ever & Gragen provided my fiancé and me with the best service. Not only are they extremely knowledgeable, but they are kind and make hands down the best Old Fashion we've ever had. I can't wait to return. Highly recommend; you won't be disappointed. read more

Mad River Distillers - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

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We visited this distillery while in town for vacation. We had a voucher for a free tasting, so we popped in to check them out. We walked into the retail area and were quickly greeted by the bartender. We told him we were there for a tasting, and he directed us to the small bar area to sit. They had 10 to choose from for the flights, and a flight had 4, so he helped walk us through which 8 would be best for us. They have rum, whiskey, and bourbon to choose from.After our flights, we stayed for a cocktail, and they were delicious! There is very limited parking in front of the distillery, but there is a parking garage nearby. They do offer some snack options as well. This is the kind of place you go in for a tasting, but you feel like you could stay all day. The vibe is laid back, and the liquor is amazing! What more could you need?? read more

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Oh, yes. It's time for a drink. After exploring Burlington all day and then hunting for a parking space in town, I am ready to relax for a bit. I landed at Mad River and it was perfect. The bartender who was also the shopkeeper saw me looking over the drink menu and I was clearly indecisive. So I let him know I wanted a drink that didn't have any sugar or sweetener in it because of my keto diet and he mixed up a something. It was perfect! And because I wasn't driving for a while, I had a second one. I also enjoyed their "cheddar board" which was a very nice spread. Local cheese, a local pear paste, local blueberries, potato chips, locally baked crackers, nuts and pickles. Delicious and I skipped the carbs (which I completely screwed up for dinner). [Review 18510 overall - 109 in Vermont - 2032 of 2022.] read more

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With locally crafted, highly tailored, exceptionally Vermont rums and whiskies, Mad River is a required stop for anyone into spirits. I stopped in on a Friday night and enjoyed maple cask old fashioned, which was made from rum instead of bourbon or rye, and rum punch. The old fashioned was flavorful, but very sugar-forward. The rum punch was far more balanced, blending all five (!) house whiskies, and coming with acid and citrus that helped break up the sugar of the first cocktail. The staff is refreshingly free of the haughtiness and snobbery that can accompany distilleries. They showed me an enjoyable time and helped explicate the flavor notes that came across with the tasting flight that I chose. You can spend 15 minutes or two hours here and feel the experience is totally worth your time. read more

Mad River Distillers - Maple cask old fashioned, made with their barrel-aged rum - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

I don't know how this place isn't overrun with people. It's a distillery with great whiskey (and I assume the other spirits are good as well, but I only tried the whiskey). You can get flights of their spirits to try, but the tasting room is also a full bar with a skilled bartender making classic cocktails with their spirits. And the kicker is that it's all very reasonably priced. Truly a hidden gem, and a no brainer if you're looking to try some spirits or get a great cocktail. read more

Walked up before they opened but the staff let us in. They even stopped prepping to introduce themselves and welcome us to the distillery. Needless to say, staff is friendly. We ordered a flight and a few cocktails off the winter menu. All good and exactly what we needed to keep warm on a cold winter day. In the spirit of Small Business Saturday, I bought some bitters but couldn't make the drink quite like they did. I'll save myself the trouble and get some of their premade to-go cocktails next visit. The location is great, walking distance to other local shops and eateries. And there's street parking nearby. Right outside the shop you get a nice view of the waterfront. For anyone visiting Vermont breweries, add this distillery to the list to switch things up and it won't disappoint! read more

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Service was fabulous. The bartender adapted the whiskey flight to my tastes and recommended a delightful cocktail based on what I most enjoyed. The cheese plate was tasty. Great atmosphere. Classic cocktails done simply to spotlight the spirits. Highly recommend! read more

Gragen was a great help with giving us information about the rum and whiskey flights. Hopscotch was our favorite. It was so smooth and the old fashioned with the straight bourbon was well balanced. read more

Great place to purchase our Mad River favorites not available in our area. They also have a very nice tasting bar.

Drinks are so great and unique! The bartenders were sweet and so accommodating, would recommend!

Cool distillery that specializes in rum and whiskey. You can do flights of liquor cocktails. I ended up ordering the a maple rum old fashioned, which was delicious. The cheese board as an app is great to share, they use locally sourced cheese and jam in their spread. read more

Mad River Distillers - Cheese board - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

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Friendly and knowledgeable staff; nice variety of spirits, mixed drink and tasting options.

Love this cocktail bar! Very fun that they are distillers and very knowledgeable about the ingredients. we got the "Soundtrack to Winter" whiskey drink which was fantastic as a non whiskey drinker. Very similar to pomegranate whiskey sour, and I loved it. Also got the "First tracks" which was refreshing and cucumber forward. Loved sitting at the bar read more

This is a super cute little bar and shop! They have a ton of interesting cocktail related items to buy as well as a bar if you're feeling like drinking. My friend and I weren't ready for a cocktail in the moment, so we took one of their canned to go cocktails. It was pretty good! I'm not sure if they still sell these, but, if they do, they're a nice option to drink in the comfort of your home (or hotel). read more

Located about a block away from the famous church street. This is a cute little distillery with a shop located right before the bar area that offers some local items and different bottles that you can take home as well as some merchandise. They are very dog friendly. We chose to stop here and have a quick drink. The staff could not have been nicer and more welcoming. I chose to get the banana foster drink with rum which was good but very strong and my husband got an old fashioned and enjoyed it. We ended up getting some premade bottles old fashioned to go. read more

Mad River Distillers - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

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We were visiting from Maine & so glad we stopped by!! The drinks were amazing and the staff were so friendly!! We ordered espresso martinis & a painkiller. So delicious!! Hope to come back some day. read more

Mad River Distillers - Espresso martini & pain killer - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

I think they have a unique selection of local whiskey, burbon and other spirits. I bough a bottle of their whiskey and it was great! Worth the price! I'm definitely returning in the future. read more

Whiskey tasting flight for eight dollars is a great value. We enjoyed sampling and talking with our bartender. This is a small bar and I can imagine that it gets pretty packed on the weekends. I would recommend Mad River as a nightcap location after a dinner downtown. read more

Nice distillery with bar service and retail area with a nice selection of drinkware, bitters, and other items to complement their rums and bourbon. The staff is super friendly and helpful with explaining their liquors and showcasing them in delicious unique drinks. read more

Mad River Distillers - Some of their rum and bourbon at the bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

Awesome drinks and service! Our bartender recommended other places for us to visit while in the area, 5/5 would recommend! read more

Mad River Distillers - Hot Buttered Rum - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

After eating dinner and walking back toward our hotel, we came across this place. We looked in the window and didn't see anyone inside and wondered if they were open since it was a Thursday night. After going in there was one couple at a table so we sat at the bar. The guy behind the bar was very personable and friendly welcoming us right in. We tried the flight of rum and he told us all about the distilling process, After that we hung around and had another drink before calling it a night. Bought some rum and headed back to the hotel. Great place to stop in. read more

I super recommend this place!! Very friendly service, good vibes, and well thought out cocktails! I've never had a bad time! St Paul St area is easily the best place in Burlington for fantastic drinks/cocktails and Mad River is always a must visit - closes earlier so a good starter spot for a night out :) Small menu but more than makes up for it with quality. Cocktails are seasonal but the rum punch seems to always be up and I have lots of friends with a variety of tastes who enjoy it! The canned cocktails to go are also fantastic! read more

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I was visiting Burlington, VT for the day and got really excited when I came across Mad River Distillery! I get so excited when I can find a great place for a good, authentic cocktail. Mad River is a beautiful place to stop in for a drink or two. The prices are just right and they have a nice selection of cocktails to choose from. I really enjoy bourbon and ordered the Paper Plane cocktail: bourbon, Aperol, lemon, nonino amaro. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this cocktail. This was a great stop for us! read more

Mad River Distillers - Paper Plane Cocktail - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

Amazing products, presentation and hospitality. Go! The small cocktails were way stronger than I expected! read more

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Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable! Liked learning about the different whiskies! Thank you!

Local distillery with full service bar and shop. We came for a drink but would have been nice to take a bottle to go! The mojito and the punch were so smooth you couldn't tell there was any spirits in them. 2 drinks ran high close to $30 but was worth the experience. The premise cocktails in a can looked good too made with a soda stream! read more

Mad River Distillers - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

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This distillery was great! We stopped by for a bachelorette party for early evening drinks and it was amazing! They sat us right away and switched out drinks we didn't love, so we all had something we enjoyed. I would recommend this place to anyone in the area! A great mid-stop between lunch and dinner or dinner and going out. Don't skip this place! read more

Great overall service and delicious drinks! I would give 6 stars if I could. Highly recommend. read more

Mad River Distillers - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

Service was good and drinks got us tipsy. Drinks were a bit pricey but to be expected.

Welcoming and clean atmosphere with helpful and friendly servers. Good vibes from this place! Highly recommend! read more

Mad River Distillers - Mojito cocktail, perfect blend of rum, mint and lime. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

Perfect location right off church street. Give the option of spirit flights to sample different liquors (rum, bourbon, whiskey) as well as cocktails to sample those liquors. The maple old fashioned was delicious and provided a unique taste using maple rum as the base. Highly recommend stopping by to sample the spirits of you are a rum/whiskey fan! read more

Mad River Distillers - Spirit flight - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

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During our first night in Vermont we happened to see this place and walked in about 20 min before they closed, we were greeted warmly and allowed to look around and check out some of their items such as bar ware and home made liquors, after some time a bartender came up to us and offered us tastings of the items they had for sale, I ended up trying the vanilla rum and the maple rum, the bartender was nice enough to tell us a little about the process of how these were made and was very informative. When you walk in you could see the decor is very nice and sleek. They had whiskey and rum. The vanilla rum was a nice spin on rum not overpowering but a nice after taste, the maple rum was good too, not what I expected but in a good way, I thought I was in for a syrupy drink but not at all, great flavor, I enjoyed my experience here, not only was the liquor good but the customer service was top notch, I really highly recommend it and would come back, im glad I bought some to take home. read more

This place was so awesome! I am huge into mixology and I wanted to buy everything! They had about 50 kinds of bitters, Moroccan, smoked chili oil bitters, and even teapot bitters which are hard to find. My husband and I sat down to have a drink. I decided on the mini cocktail flight which was genius! I had the Bloody Mary, rum punch, and manhattan. The Bloody Mary was spicy and delicious! It was full of horseradish flavor and well balanced. The rum punch was fruity and delicious! It was not super sweet and utilized mad river rums. The rums are bold and flavorful!! The manhattan was perfectly balanced and smooth! My husband and I didn't eat, but I love parings. It is great that they have sweet and snacks with cocktails. Overall great place and we would definitely be back!! read more

Mad River Distillers - Cocktail flight - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

Great little bar in downtown Burlington. It's a cocktail place only (no beer or wine). They did have a front section with stuff to take home including cans of local beers. I had the mini cocktail flight when I visited which was great because I got to taste 3 different things on the menu as I had never been before. I tried the Vermont tea, stonefence, and house punch. Liked them all! They also had a few snacks on the menu. The place was small and quaint, very relaxing and good service. Even recommended us some dinner places nearby to visit afterward. I would definitely visit again the next time I'm in the area. read more

Mad River Distillers - Mini cocktail flight - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

We made reservations for a whiskey tasting. The place was full by the time we were on our way out. The guy running the place was a champ! I bought a bottle of the revolution rye. Still enjoying it. Has coffee, smoky chocolately notes that I'm obsessed with. read more

This is a prime example of local craftsmanship at its best. Simple, clean tastes across the board. The vanilla rum was a surprise top choice with a simple vanilla flavor without the sickly sweet tastes others fall prey to. The limited addition Hopscotch is worth the trip, because it won't be here long. I recommend the location, with great options and knowledgeable staff. read more

Mad River Distillers - Flights and snack menu - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

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Jacksie and Reagan are very passionate about what they do and provided great service. Best Old Fashion in VT I've ever had!