Batson River Brewing & Distilling sits in Portland’s Arts District at 82 Hanover Street, where co-founders Peter Ahlberg and Sam Keene opened their doors in 2014. The duo met while working in the craft beer industry and decided to combine their passion for brewing with the art of distillation in a converted warehouse space that houses both operations under one roof. Their 15-barrel brewhouse sits alongside copper stills from Vendome Copper & Brass Works, creating spirits that often start with their own craft beer as a base. The 4,000-square-foot facility produces gin, whiskey, and rum while maintaining their brewing operations that started it all.
Ahlberg brings a background in mechanical engineering while Keene’s experience spans brewing and business operations, and together they’ve built something unique in Maine’s craft spirits scene. They source Maine potatoes for their vodka, work with local farms for botanical ingredients in their gin, and age their whiskey in full-size barrels rather than the smaller formats many craft distilleries use. The philosophy centers on patience and local sourcing, with their whiskey spending genuine time in oak rather than rushing to market. Head distiller responsibilities rotate between the founders, keeping the operation hands-on and personal.
Visitors find themselves in a working distillery where the equipment dominates the space and the smell of fermenting grains mingles with hops from the brewing side. The tasting room feels more like a neighborhood bar than a polished visitor center, with concrete floors, exposed beams, and a bartender who likely helped make what you’re drinking. You can sample their gin neat or in cocktails, taste whiskey straight from barrels during tours, and often catch them mid-production since everything happens in the same building. It’s the kind of place where you end up staying longer than planned, especially if you’re curious about the technical side of making spirits.
