GrandTen Distilling sits in Boston’s South End at 383 Dorchester Avenue, housed in a converted industrial space that feels more like a neighborhood hangout than your typical distillery. Founded in 2011 by Spencer McMinn, a former finance guy who traded spreadsheets for stills, this operation started as Boston’s first distillery since Prohibition ended. McMinn partnered with master distiller Matt Nuernberger, who brought serious chops from studying distillation in Germany and working at craft operations across New England. They focus on gin, vodka, and liqueurs, with their Wire Works gin becoming their flagship before they’d even figured out what they were doing. The 4,000-square-foot space houses custom German copper stills and feels like the kind of place where regulars know the bartender’s name. You’ll find them making spirits that actually taste like Boston—not in some gimmicky way, but because they source locally and aren’t trying to copy Kentucky bourbon or craft the world’s smoothest vodka. Instead, they’re making stuff that works in cocktails and doesn’t need a marketing story to justify its existence.
