Courtesy / Hardshore Distilling Co.
The distillery is singularly focused on producing Hardshore Original Gin, its flagship and currently sole product.
September 1, 2017
Portland distillery a finalist in nationwide contest for best craft gin
Courtesy / Hardshore Distilling Co.
Hardshore Distilling Co. of Portland's Hardshore Original Gin has been selected as a finalist for the Best Craft Gin Distillery in 2017 in a nationwide competition hosted by USA TODAY.
By Staff
Hardshore Distilling Co. of Portland has been selected as a finalist for the Best Craft Gin Distillery in 2017 in a nationwide competition hosted by USA TODAY.
The Readers’ Choice Award finalists are selected by an expert panel of distillers and spirits critics, with the winner chosen by popular vote in an online poll that lasts through Sept. 11.
Hardshore Distilling is a relative newcomer to the Maine distilling scene, having opened its doors less than a year ago on Oct. 28, 2016. Owners Jordan and Lindsay Milne built the craft distillery and tasting room in the former J.J. Nissen Bakery Building on Washington Avenue next to neighborhood beverage makers Maine Mead Works and Oxbow Brewery.
The distillery is singularly focused on producing Hardshore Original Gin, its flagship and currently sole product. The unique recipe was developed over a period of four years and includes locally grown fresh rosemary and mint, which are unconventional in gin.
“The support from our neighbors on inner Washington and business owners from around the greater Portland area has been truly humbling,” the owners said in a news release. “There’s no chance we could have gotten up on our feet as quickly as we have without the help of many, many people.”
Hardshore’s nomination is just the latest sign that the nascent distilling industry in Maine is emerging from the shadow cast by the state’s craft brewing scene that has garnered nationwide attention. There are at least 15 distilleries currently operating in Maine, with more currently under development — a promising source of new jobs for Mainers and a lure for talent from out of state. Hardshore alone has grown from one to five employees over the past six months.
Distilled products from Maine run the gamut from vodka, rum, gin and whiskey to more specialty and innovative products such as fernet and carrot liqueur, which continue to break down the boundaries between liquor categories.
To cast a vote for Hardshore in USA TODAY’s contest, go here.
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