Now available for the first time ever at Art in the Age from Tamworth Distilling!



Chocorua is a Straight Rye Whiskey, made from a single crop of organic rye grain from Maine distilled in the sour mash style. The result is a cherry-like nose and depth accented by the rye’s peppery kick.


The Story of Chocorua Rye from Tamworth Distilling

Rye grain is a staple crop for New England farms, and furthermore our Chocorua 100% Rye Whiskey is a straight whiskey staple in the TDM spirits line-up. We dedicate a portion of our yearly production to the distillation and aging of a truly New England rye. Our farmer friend in Maine sets aside ample tons of his organic grain, a fraction of it going to our Mass Maltster friends to malt for natural production of carbohydrate-cleaving Amylase enzymes. One single crop: seasonally fermented, batch distilled and layed in 53 gallon new white oak barrels. This rye whiskey is over 2 years old, making it a ‘straight rye whiskey.’ Chocorua Mountain and its lake basin are icons of the Tamworth Township, that boast the most photographed peak in the White Mountains National Forest. The poet E.E. Cummings painted Cezanne-esque landscapes of its rocky façade. It is home to a historical Native American curse, of which an Andros 1838 poem is printed on the label. This curse illustrates the ~1720 story of a European settler named Campbell and a native man Chocorua. While Chocorua first tried to build amicable ties with the encroaching colonist, these trusts were broken and on the rocky peak that now bares his name, the dying Chocorua struck a curse: "May the Great Spirit curse you when he speaks in the clouds and his words are fire! Lightning blast your crops! Wind and fire destroy your homes! The Evil One breathe death on your cattle! Panthers howl and wolves fatten on your bones!"

The 100% organic rye recipe is loosely based off the pre-prohibition tradition of Monogahela Rye. This historic type of whiskey is prized for extremely high percentages of rye grain, specific to farmers on Pennsylvania’s southwest border. The 80%-100% rye whiskey was one of the first to gain national presence, in a day when far more reached for rye than bourbon. Sadly, with the implementation of prohibition, USA production halted. When stills kicked back on after prohibition, the public (and profitiable) interest turn to boubon.

We apply a French Congnac approach to blending, bringing in elements of ‘elevage’ or barrel breeding.

Flavor Profile / Tasting Notes

Smooth, hay-like notes open up as they warm on the tongue, joined by fruity sweetness reminiscent of apple and pear. Chocorua is an excellent sipping whiskey, with only a mild heat, light bitterness, and medium length finish. From beginning to end, Chocorua embodies Tamworth's scratch made ethos: local, house-milled grain, pure water, and herbs and botanicals from the woods as well as the Tamworth Garden.