As we bid farewell to another year of hard work and simple pleasures at Judson & Moore, we are eager to review what we accomplished during that time. Shortly after filling our 1000th (!) barrel, we celebrated barrel one’s 5th birthday. and set our sights on reaching more people who also value the work that goes into making good whiskey from grain to glass. Over the course of the year, we filled more than 18,000 bottles of spirits, poured samples at 72 off-site tastings, and hosted 22 facility tours.
Additionally, 2025 marked the third anniversary of our tasting room opening. The tasting room is a space where our staff can explore their boundless curiosities, creating seasonal and classic cocktails with our whiskeys, as well as smaller, equally bespoke bar projects. This year’s seasonal menus consisted of both innovative approaches and classic pairings. Your favorites were reflected in the sales, and here are some highlights.
This year, most of you kept it classic by drinking 3,016 Old Fashioneds, 912 Manhattans, and 787 Whiskey Highballs! While some of you preferred to drink our whiskey in cocktails, a number of you took it straight with 758 flights served and 1,946 neat pours.
Guided by our bar staff’s innovation and craft, we were able to pull you away here and there for a handful of seasonal specials. Colleen (our operations manager) says, “This was the best year so far in terms of what we were able to do as the whiskey and our team develop in tandem. Vodka! Gin! Triple Sec! A 5-year rye release! Farmhouse Ales! So many syrups, shrubs, and city foraging! So many delicious (and at times confusing) small projects!”.
Here are the ones that intrigued you the most:
Last of the Rhubarb Sour
A whiskey sour riff with Judson & Moore Red Corn Bourbon made with rhubarb from Elise’s garden.
Margarita USA
A certified crowd pleaser, our most divisive (and most awarded) whiskey serves as a strong backbone for salt, citrus, and vegetal jalapeño, with its subtle applewood-smoked malt.
Winter Cosmopolitan
There is plenty of room here at Judson & Moore for the non-whiskey drinkers. This vodka-based bright wintery wonderland of a drink combined our house-made triple-sec with cranberry and warming winter spices like star anise, cinnamon, and cloves.
Cucumber Collins
A salt-fermented cucumber brine is the secret that turns this classically clean cocktail a little dirty, with a funky salinity that pairs beautifully with the split base of J&M Rye and our House Gin.
Red Corn Red Hook
This elegant Manhattan riff relies on the mineral-like richness and spice notes of our Red Corn Bourbon to complement its bittersweet vermouth and house-made maraschino, resulting in a dark-fruit symphony with whispers of almond and a delicate, bitter finish.
Our tasting room also served as a community space, hosting a number of incredible music and events by Local Universe over the year. In 2025, we held over 131 live events, including four multi-day festivals. We had the privilege of participating as a venue for the debut of Sound & Gravity, saw the return of Lavender Prairie, Big Sadie’s Country Christmas, and numerous events from the Cosmic Country Showcase. We’ve deepened our commitment to some recurring events, including Bluegrass Breakdown–a free and open jam of bluegrass standards, pickin’ hero Joel Paterson’s monthly Old Fashioned Friday, and a series of events with an emphasis on partner dancing–like Last Call Honky Tonk, Fool’s Country, and Swappin’ Boots.
One thing is sure. In 2025, we did what we do best: crafting fine whiskeys that represent the spirit and bounty of the Midwest and sharing them with our dearest friends, family, and whiskey lovers alike. So if you have not had the chance to visit our facilities & tasting room, there are plenty of whiskey-fueled festivities left to share in the new year. Thank you all for your continued support. We look forward to sharing yet another year of fine times and fine whiskey together.