chocolate pairing & SILO Distillery

Vermont’s finest ingredients make this collab a match made in heaven.

We celebrated spring this past weekend with a jaunt up north for a special collaboration with the Norwich Inn, as part of their Bread & Brew Weekend. Partnering with our friends at SILO Distillery, we paired a selection of our single origin, Vermont-inspired chocolate bars with SILO’s vodka, gin, and maple whiskey made with Vermont-grown grains and infused with Vermont-sourced lavender, maple syrup, juniper and apples for a group of 20 enthusiastic guests from around the country. As the old adage goes, what grows together goes together, the sheer abundance of Vermont ingredients melding to create a mouth-watering journey of flavors that you can only find in our amazing little state.

In their sun-drenched barn in Windsor, head distiller Erin Bell led the group through the process for creating their line of artisanal spirits from start to finish, using premium local ingredients. Each distiller sets up their distillery in a different way, so the singular approach to refining and capturing their chosen ingredients to turn them into delicious libations is unique to each maker. All of SILO’s spirits are corn-based, each recipe and technique creating an incredibly different expression of the grain.

An enthusiastic group convened in the tasting room for a short introduction by John and Dar to chocolate sourcing, tempering and pairing, followed by a pairing with SILO’s Maple Whiskey, Lavender Vodka and apple-juniper Gin and a selection of our bars chosen specifically for their complementary flavor notes. Explorations coupled with laughter, questions, and exclamations ensued, making for a fun and lively afternoon!