How Stephen Mann turned a homemade housewarming gift into MannCave Distillery.
Nestled in the hills of Weston, you just might find the best whiskey you’ve ever tasted. At least, that’s what MannCave Distillery owner Stephen Mann’s boss said when Mann first brought his homemade concoction over for a housewarming party.
After a night of enjoying the product, Mann’s boss pulled him aside and confidently said, “You need to make whiskey for a living.” With those few words—and a subsequent talk with Mann’s numbers-savvy wife, who thought the idea might actually work—a new journey was set in motion.
A couple years later, Mann now splits his time between working in IT for that same boss and running MannCave Distillery, where he and his family continue to perfect their craft. The facility is open to the public daily, with tours and tastings provided on a walk-in basis, and bottles of its products are available in liquor stores statewide. Its inventory has expanded to include not just whiskey, but also vodka, gin, and moonshine, some of which are flavored with fresh fruits and spices. “It’s not your typical ‘go buy a bottle off the shelf and get this artificial flavoring that leaves a nasty aftertaste’ product,” Mann says of his flavored selection, which is sweetened only by the natural sugars of the fruits. “This gives you the actual fruit flavor.”
Mann has faced challenges in his endeavor—whether due to government restrictions on how distilleries in the state can operate or pandemic-diminished traffic—but his passion is apparent, and it’s not fizzling. Plus, his product speaks for itself. MannCave Distillery has won gold and silver medals at international spirit competitions and is participating this year in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
So if you’re looking for the best of the best, pay MannCave Distillery a visit. They’ll have a world-class drink waiting for you. 851 Left Millstone Road, Weston, 681.533.1001, manncave.com, @spikeworld on FB
written by Taylor Maple
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