Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff
Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff - Atlanta Shops Southern Spirits
The bustling Atlanta airport is much more than just a transportation hub - it's also a prime place to get a taste of true Southern hospitality before your flight. At Atlanta shops like Natalie's and ATL Uncork'd, you can sample a wide array of locally-made liquors that capture the rich spirits heritage of Georgia and the South. From smooth bourbons to fruity liqueurs and everything in between, these airport outlets showcase the diverse flavors being crafted by artisan distillers across the region.
Natalie's, named for renowned master distiller Natalie Battle, offers an extensive selection of spirits produced at Georgia's first legal distillery since Prohibition. Using recipes handed down through generations, Natalie's distills small-batch bourbon, vodka, gin, and rum on-site. Their award-winning bourbon packs a smooth, oaky punch with hints of vanilla and caramel, while the vodka provides a crisp, clean spirit as the perfect base for creative cocktails. You can sip tastes of the entire Natalie's portfolio at their airport location before grabbing a bottle to enjoy at home.
Meanwhile, ATL Uncork'd lives up to its name by allowing travelers to pop the cork on unique Southern libations they won't find anywhere else. Their guided flight tastings take you on a tour of three distinct spirits - usually a bourbon, rum, and liqueur - while an expert provides backstories on the distinct flavors and distilling techniques. Many of the featured spirits hail from Georgia, like Richland Rum's Estate expression redolent of peach and pecan. Or sip an ambrosial southern dessert in liquid form with Peach Street Distillers' Georgia Peach liqueur.
Beyond the brands distilled in-state, these shops also showcase spirits from top southern makers like Kentucky's revered bourbon distilleries. Popular picks include sweet wheated bourbons from Maker's Mark or the spiced vanilla warmth of Old Forester. For a true taste of the South, pick up a bottle of smooth Tennessee sipping whiskey like George Dickel or Jack Daniels to enjoy over ice.
What else is in this post?
- Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff - Atlanta Shops Southern Spirits
- Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff - Sample Seattle's Craft Brews
- Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff - Denver Distilleries Offer Colorado Crafts
- Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff - Minneapolis Showcases Minnesota Malts
- Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff - Portland Flights Come With Oregon Ales
Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff - Sample Seattle's Craft Brews
The Seattle-Tacoma airport is a beer lover's paradise, with multiple outlets where you can sip a pint of the Emerald City's famous craft brews pre-flight. As the birthplace of America's craft beer revolution in the 1980s, Seattle takes its brew culture very seriously. And given locals' passion for their hyperlocal breweries, SEA-TAC aims to showcase the Northwest's hoppy, flavorful creations so travelers can taste the region's beer innovation firsthand.
With over 40 breweries in Seattle proper, there's no shortage of delicious draughts to choose from. Popular picks include hometown hero Redhook, which opened Seattle's first craft brewery in 1981 and still operates a pub at SEA-TAC. Their flagship ESB captures complex malty, caramel flavors with just enough NW hops to balance the sweetness. Pyramid, another craft beer pioneer, offers their iconic apricot ale infused with real fruit for a refreshing wheaty brew with a kick of tartness.
Elysian, one of Seattle's largest craft breweries, delivers IPAs for true hopheads, like their Citra pale ale exploding with tangy citrus notes. To dive deeper into local flavors, Seattle Tap Room showcases over 100 area craft beers in an airport pub setting, including creations from Pike Brewing, Fremont Brewing, Two Beers, and over a dozen other hyperlocal stars. With monthly rotating taps, you can discover new Seattle sips on every layover.
Travelers keen on beer tourism love Georgetown Brewing's SEA-TAC satellite location, where you can sip the brand's famed Bodhizafa IPA straight from the source. Showcasing tropical, piney hops in a perfectly balanced pale ale, this brew has become an iconic Seattle craft creation. For a taste of the exotic, Holy Mountain Brewing delivers a Thai-inspired wheat beer called Ghost Bat with flavors of ginger, lemongrass, and lime leaf. Or for those who like beer with a view, Wings Taphouse sits alongside the main runway so you can watch aircraft take off while sipping Seattle's signature brews.
Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff - Denver Distilleries Offer Colorado Crafts
Known as the Mile High City, Denver also boasts mile-high quality when it comes to its ever-expanding craft distillery scene. With over 35 distilleries in Denver proper and 70+ statewide, Colorado has cultivated a robust spirits heritage rooted in its local agriculture and Rocky Mountain water. This flourishing industry means Denver International Airport is the perfect place to sip a taste of Colorado before your flight.
At DIA, County Line Liquor and Colorado Marketplace offer one-stop shops to browse local liqueurs, vodkas, gins, bourbons, and more from top Centennial State producers. For an authentic Colorado vodka experience, check out Roundhouse Spirits' locally-sourced creations like their smooth potato vodka with a subtly sweet, earthy taste. Or sample Montanya Distillers' platino rum, crafted from sugar cane molasses and mountain spring water for a clean yet flavorful spirit.
Those who prefer brown spirits can't miss Denver's homegrown bourbon Stranahan's. Made with mountain snowmelt and local barley, it delivers a rich, oaky profile with a hint of caramel sweetness. Breckenridge Distillery also bottles award-winning bourbon plus unique blends like their port cask-finished whiskey. For a refreshing pre-flight drink, Spirit Hound Distillers' gin comes in fun botanical varieties like their lavender or green chile expression.
To dive deeper, attend a guided tasting at Wood's High Mountain Distillery's airport outpost. Here, an expert bartender schools you on proudly Colorado liquors while you sample award-winning potato vodkas, gumball-infused gin, Rocky Mountain absinthe, and more. Or for an immersive experience, County Line Liquor offers Distillery Tours-To-Go packages where you can "visit" over a dozen Colorado distilleries in an hour via guided tastings of their iconic spirits, bottled just for the airport shops.
Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff - Minneapolis Showcases Minnesota Malts
The Twin Cities are fast becoming a hotspot for Minnesota's flourishing craft malt scene, with local distillers sourcing hyperlocal grains to create a true taste of the North Star State. This homegrown malt movement has expanded to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where travelers can sip a regional spirit made with malted barley harvested just down the road.
At Tattersall Distilling, rated one of the world's best craft distilleries, the team mills its malt on-site using grain grown by Minnesota farmers. This obsessive focus on local sourcing shapes Tattersall's entire portfolio of spirits, from their clean, crisp vodkas to nuanced gins and whiskeys. Their flagship bourbon sources corn and rye from within 100 miles for a smooth yet complex sipping spirit with a spicy rye kick. Those who prefer unaged whiskeys can try Tattersall's popular Bootlegger Rye, showing off the grain's signature peppery bite.
Fellow Minneapolis standout Du Nord Craft Spirits takes the local ethos even further - their Peterson Field Malted Rye utilizes grain grown, harvested, dried, and malted solely on their partners' Peterson family farm just south of the metro area. The result tastes intensely of Minnesota terroir, with robust rye flavors amplified by hands-on small-batch malting methods. Du Nord also makes vodka and gin with this home-state malt, along with apple brandies sourced from heirloom Minnesota orchards.
At SEA-TAC, travelers can get a taste of these hyperlocal spirits in the appropriately named Minnesota Marketplace store. The wide selection showcases Tattersall's locally-sourced gins, vodkas, and whiskeys alongside Nordic-inspired aquavits from Du Nord and Vikre Distillery up north. Those on the go can grab mini-bottles to sip at home, while spirits fans can attend in-store tastings to fully savor Minnesota's malt mastery.
Beyond the hometown heroes, Minnesota Marketplace also stocks beloved whiskeys from Kentucky and Tennessee that use Minnesota-grown grains, like Corsair's Cherrywood Smoked Malt and Whiskey Acres' nearly 100% Minnesota Bourbon. And for beer lovers, pick up brews from top Twin Cities craft breweries like Surly, Indeed, and Bauhaus that likely rely on the same locally-sourced malt used by Minnesota's distillers.
Flying High: 10 Airports to Shop Local Liquor Before Takeoff - Portland Flights Come With Oregon Ales
Known as “Beervana” for good reason, Portland packs more breweries per capita than any other city on Earth. PDX airport embraces that title by pouring pints of Portland's famous craft ales, so you can sip the city's hoppy heart and soul before flying off.
With over 80 breweries in the greater metro area, Portland's beer scene dazzles with mind-boggling variety. Long before the craft craze exploded, Portland crafted flavorful, innovative brews that rejected the mass-market lagers dominating 1970s America. Today, PDX showcases legendary Oregon OGs like Widmer Brothers, BridgePort, and of course Deschutes, whose flagship Mirror Pond Pale Ale offers an archetypal Cascade hop experience.
Travelers keen to dive deeper can head to Laurelwood Public House to knock back a custom "flight" of craft samples from Portland's best and boldest. Rotating taps deliver hard-to-find one-offs like pFriem's cheekily named "IPA - MF" while mainstays like Breakside's citrus-forward Wanderlust IPA bring familiar refreshment. Those seeking local legend status should sip Hair of the Dog's cult classic Adam, an intense American barleywine boasting whopping 29% ABV.
PDX also welcomes out-of-town stars to join the taps, like Seattle's kingpin Georgetown Brewing bringing the smooth, citrusy goodness of Bodhizafa IPA down I-5. Heading inland, Bend's Deschutes provides their Black Butte Porter on draft, rich with chocolate and coffee notes for the perfect pre-flight nightcap. And capturing Oregon's DIY spirit, airport pubs offer an extensive selection of state's 200+ craft ciders and fruity sours from Portland Cider Co., 2 Towns Ciderhouse, and many more.
Beyond the gates, travelers can bring Oregon home in their carry-ons by purchasing bottled brews at Made In Oregon stores. Stock up on classics like Full Sail's amber ale and Session lager or funky small-batch sours from Wolves & People. The shops even sell mixed 12-packs so you can sample acclaimed selections from Rogue, Pelican, Block 15, and other said stars.