Westford Hill Distillers sits on a working farm in the quiet countryside of Ashford, Connecticut, where Louis Chatey founded the operation in 2004. What started as a way to use excess apples from their orchard has evolved into one of Connecticut’s pioneering craft distilleries, producing everything from apple brandy to whiskey in small batches. The distillery operates out of a converted barn on the 200-acre property, where Chatey and his team handle every step of production from fermentation to bottling. You’ll find copper pot stills working alongside traditional oak barrels, creating an atmosphere that feels more like visiting a friend’s sophisticated hobby operation than a commercial distillery. They focus primarily on fruit brandies, particularly apple brandy made from their own orchard, but have expanded into whiskey and other spirits over their two decades of operation. The farm setting isn’t just for show—it’s integral to their production, with many ingredients sourced directly from the property or nearby farms. This is craft distilling at its most literal, where the connection between land and bottle is immediate and tangible.