ryan & wood, inc. distilleries

Ryan and Wood is not my first distillery, but certainly the most interesting I have visited. Where else can you get a detailed explanation of all the critical steps in making consistent and good tasting spirits, a process that takes, for the barrel aged spirits (rum, rye, single malt whiskey) years before you really know what you've made? This small company has to be commended for their passion: starting from the ground up in an industry dominated by giants that date from the end of prohibition.There is a tasting session at the end of the tour and you can purchase bottles to take home as well.

This one hour tour is very interesting. Kathy, the owner, gives a detailed explanation of how the company makes, vodka, gin, rye and whiskey. Not only is there a tour of the facility, there's a tasting at the end. The place is off the beaten path but worth finding.

Learned a lot about distilling for sure. Its a small place but they have a ton of knowledge about the industry. You get free samples afterward and get to see the impressive distiller and fermenting area.

Ok, it's pretty cool that it's a small family operation in competition with larger distilleries, and we're happy for them that they found a new business, but jeez, guys...this tour was drudgery. Here's the scenario: A husband and wife run the operation and the tour. She starts the tour by saying her husband isn't allowed to talk because he won't stop, and then gave the driest, monotone talk about distillery work you could imagine. She started off by telling everyone how hard it is to pay all the taxes on alcohol, and repeated this statement several times during her talk. The description that followed about how to distill the vodka, rum and gin reminded me of college professors I had who could take a perfectly interesting subject and stretch it out into the most boring lecture I could endure. After that we went down to see the distilling floor. It was all pretty cool looking, I must admit, but once she started talking, it became dull again. The funny thing is that whenever her husband had something to say, it was interesting and funny! And he wasn't supposed to say anything! Come on, guys. Pick a few key points, a few funny anecdotes and have some fun showing off your business! You have a lot to be proud of here! You just don't need to stretch a 20-30 minute tour into an hour and 15 minutes. *Yawn*

This is a small and charming distillery. The owners are very knowledgeable and kind. We visited on a non-tour day, but we were still welcomed and even got our own private (modified) tour of the facilities. My ten-year-old got thirsty and was offered a juice box and water. We purchased some rum and gin to take home and were accidentally over-charged. One of the owners, Kathy, tracked us down at our motel and even delivered our change to us! I definitely recommend stopping by for a visit.

We arrived here on a Tuesday and found the doors locked. My husband called to see if they were open because he had seen it on a website that they were. The owner Kathy came and opened the doors for us anyway and let us take a peek around! We also got to taste the vodka, rums, and gin. Just let me say I'm not a gin person but theirs was definitely different and tasty! Thanks again for letting us in we had a good time and learned a lot!

A free tour given by the owner of this local craft distillery! Informative and fun. She gives a great history of how they got into the business, the challenges they faced getting it off the ground, and the actual distilling process. Very interesting. We really like the vodka too. Lots of unusual souvenirs including old, flavored wooden barrel pieces, that you can soak and throw on the grill to flavor your steaks. Free tasting at the end.

As some of the tours we had planned on were only on the weekend, we had very little to visit here in Gloucester. We decided to tour the distillery and were very welcomed by the owner who gave us a special tour. It was very informative and we also got to taste the finished products.

Ryan and Wood was empty when we arrived. Much to our surprise were still got a great tour with a tasting that lasted over tour hours, well beyond the norm since we were the only customers at the time. What a treat! We purchased the rye whiskey and vodka, and it was delicious.

My husband is crazy about craft beers and micro breweries. We went on this tour for him and I found it interesting also.Our tour guide Cathy was very good and the distillery was impressive.The talk and tour takes about an hour.The tour is free and at the end there is a taste testing.My husbands favorite was the Folly Cove Rum..

Bob and Kathy Ryan have great passion for their business and are happy to share it with you during the tour. Highly suggest this tour as well as the gin and rum made there.

Very informative tour and tasting at one of America's best craft distilleries. Tour was interesting and time appropriate. Sampling was fantastic. A must see when your in Cape Ann. This is the place to stop to stock up your liquor cabinet. I liked all I sampled. The Gin was unique, the Vodka was smooth, the Rum was delightful and the Rye was well worth the price.

We did the tour several years ago, WOW we we impressed. Cathy was fantastic and we were hooked.Bob is has such a deep understanding of his business, I could talk with him all day.Now every year as we are leaving Cape Ann, we replenish our liquor cabinet with their fine products. My favorite is the Folly Cove Rum.Don't miss this Distillery it is a treat in many ways.Bruce R Browne

Despite being from the North Shore of Boston, never knew about this hidden gem! Great story & tour, a fun time was had by all!

Visited Ryan & Wood today with my wife and kids (over 21). We all really enjoyed the experience - from learning about the distilling process and sampling the four products made at R&W, to discussions about the local history. The tour was about an hour - and was one of the highlights of our visit. There was zero sales pitch (which is not always the case when visiting wine tastings). We left with a bottle whiskey and a bottle of rum - and look forward to enjoying it when we get home. I would strongly recommend this to anyone visiting the area.