Beardsley’s Cider Mill & Orchard sits on 278 Leavenworth Road in Shelton, Connecticut, where the Beardsley family has been pressing apples and crafting cider since 1849. What started as a traditional New England cider mill has evolved into something more complex over the decades, though they’ve kept the same stone foundation and wooden beam construction that gives the place its character. You’re not walking into a sleek modern distillery here—this is 175 years of Connecticut agricultural history still operating on the same property where it began. The Beardsley family didn’t set out to become craft spirits pioneers, but when craft distilling laws changed in Connecticut, they saw an opportunity to expand beyond their traditional apple cider operation. They added small-batch apple brandy and apple-based spirits to their lineup, using the same orchards that have supplied their cider mill for generations. The transition made sense—they already had the fruit, the fermentation knowledge, and the historic setting that Connecticut visitors were seeking. What you get here is part working farm, part historic mill, part tasting room. The operation runs on a scale that feels personal rather than commercial, where you can watch apples being pressed in the same building where they’re distilling spirits. The stone mill building houses both the traditional cider-making equipment and their newer distillation setup, creating an experience that bridges Connecticut’s agricultural past with its emerging craft spirits scene.