Cedar Ridge Distillery

In the rolling farmland of southeastern Iowa, where corn stretches to every horizon and the Skunk River winds through black soil that's fed America for generations, Jeff and Laurie Quint looked out over their vineyard in 2010 and saw possibility beyond grapes.

The land had already proven itself. Their winery drew visitors down gravel roads to taste what Iowa terroir could produce. But the Quints understood something deeper about this place—that the same prairie that yielded exceptional wine grapes also grew some of the finest corn and grain in the world. Why ship it away when they could transform it here, where it belonged?

Cedar Ridge became Iowa's first licensed distillery since Prohibition ended, a distinction that carried weight beyond mere chronology. This wasn't just about filling a gap in history; it was about reclaiming a tradition that had been severed for nearly eight decades. The Quints weren't chasing trends—they were answering a call from the land itself.

The distillery rose alongside the vineyard, copper stills gleaming in a state better known for sending its grain to Kentucky and Tennessee. But Iowa corn carries its own character, sweetened by prairie summers and hardened by bitter winters. The water, drawn from their own wells, filters through limestone laid down when ancient seas covered the Midwest.

What started as a family vision quickly earned recognition far beyond Iowa's borders. By 2017, the American Distilling Institute named Cedar Ridge Distiller of the Year, validation that innovation and tradition could flourish in unexpected places. International awards followed, each one a testament to what happens when local ingredients meet uncompromising craft.

The stillhouse today hums with the quiet confidence of a operation that's proven itself. Steam rises from mash tuns filled with Iowa grain while copper stills work their ancient alchemy. Visitors who come for the wine often leave converts to the whiskey, understanding finally that terroir isn't limited to grapes.

Cedar Ridge stands as proof that American whiskey's future isn't bound by geography or tradition. In a state where corn is king, the Quints have built something that honors both the grain and the ground, creating spirits that taste unmistakably of Iowa—and of possibility itself.