Top 10 Distilleries in Estonia
Estonia is a small Baltic state of forests, bogs, and islands, with a spirits tradition shaped by centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian influence. The country's most internationally recognised product is Vana Tallinn — a dark rum-based liqueur flavoured with cinnamon, citrus peel, vanilla, and other spices — which has been produced since the Soviet era and remains one of the best-known spirits brands from the former Soviet space. Beyond Vana Tallinn, Estonia has a deep culture of home distillation (koduõlu for beer, koduviin for home spirits) that has operated alongside formal licensed production for generations.
Since Estonian independence in 1991 and particularly since EU accession in 2004, a legal craft distillery sector has developed with increasing momentum. Estonian distillers draw on local rye, juniper berries, sea buckthorn, and forest botanicals to produce spirits with a distinctly Nordic character. Use the map to explore Estonian distilleries by location, from Tallinn's medieval old town to the Estonian islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
1. Liviko, Tallinn
Liviko is Estonia's largest spirits producer and the company behind Vana Tallinn, the country's most famous spirit. Founded in 1898 as a state spirits monopoly operation, the company has been privately owned since Estonian independence and has maintained consistent production of Vana Tallinn in its original recipe alongside a broader portfolio of vodkas, liqueurs, and other spirits. Vana Tallinn is produced by macerating spices and botanicals in a rum base, sweetening with sugar syrup, and blending to a range of strengths. The 40%, 45%, and 50% ABV versions each have their fans; the stronger expressions show more rum character and spice complexity. The brand exports to dozens of countries and is particularly popular in Finland, Russia, and the Baltic states.
2. Põhjala Distilleerija, Tallinn
Põhjala began as a craft brewery in Tallinn and expanded into distillation as part of a wider strategy of pushing Estonian craft beverage culture. The distillery produces gin and whisky, with the whisky program using locally grown Estonian rye and barley processed through the brewery's existing malt handling infrastructure. Põhjala's Nordic Gin incorporates juniper berries harvested from Estonian forests, sea buckthorn from the west Estonian coast, and locally grown herbs, giving it a flavour profile that is immediately recognisable as Baltic in character — resinous, tart, and herbal. The brand has benefited from Põhjala's established export channels and is available in craft beer shops across Northern Europe.
3. Vissmann Distillery, Hiiumaa Island
Vissmann is a small distillery on Estonia's second-largest island, Hiiumaa, operating in a landscape of pine forests, coastal meadows, and small farms. The distillery focuses on traditional Estonian spirits: grain vodka made from local rye, juniper-flavoured spirit (kadakamarjad is the Estonian word for juniper berries, and juniper-infused spirits have deep roots in Baltic culture), and a range of botanical liqueurs made from island-foraged ingredients including wild strawberries, cloudberries, and bilberries. Vissmann's products are sold primarily through the island's tourism trade and through specialist shops on the mainland, and represent a careful preservation of traditional Estonian spirit-making knowledge.
4. Toonus Distillery, Rapla County
Toonus is a craft distillery established in rural Rapla County, in the forested landscape of western Estonia, producing grain spirits and gin using locally sourced materials. The distillery has built its reputation on transparency about sourcing — rye from neighbouring farms, water from local aquifers, botanicals largely gathered from the surrounding forest and bog ecosystem. Its flagship gin is built around a juniper base that uses both domestic and imported juniper, with secondary botanicals of angelica root, spruce shoots, and Estonian bog myrtle adding a distinctly northern character. Toonus operates a small visitor program on an appointment basis.
5. Saaremaa Distillery, Kuressaare, Saaremaa Island
Saaremaa Island, the largest island in Estonia and separated from the mainland by a stretch of the West Estonian Archipelago, has a distinct micro-culture that includes its own food and drink traditions. The Saaremaa Distillery produces grain vodka and flavoured spirits drawing on island ingredients: wild herbs, berries, and the mineral character of local water. The island's juniper trees — particularly dense in parts of Saaremaa's protected landscape areas — provide the basis for a juniper-forward spirit that is more closely related to traditional Scandinavian aquavit or gin precursors than to modern botanical gin. Saaremaa spirits are primarily consumed domestically and by visitors to the island.
6. Viru Distillery, Ida-Viru County, Northeastern Estonia
Ida-Viru County in northeastern Estonia is the heart of the country's oil shale industry and has a more industrial character than the forested western regions, but it also has access to Estonian grain production and the legacy of Soviet-era spirits manufacturing infrastructure. Viru Distillery produces grain spirits and vodka at relatively large scale for the domestic market. The region's Russian-speaking population — northeastern Estonia has a significant Russian minority — gives the spirits culture here a different orientation, with vodka quality and purity emphasised over botanical complexity. Viru vodka is widely available across Estonia.
7. Lossikülvi Distillery, Tartu County
Lossikülvi is a small craft operation in the Tartu County of southern Estonia, located near Estonia's second city and the seat of the country's oldest university. The distillery produces small-batch rye vodka and grain whisky, positioning itself as a university-town craft producer catering to a well-educated consumer base with an appetite for provenance and transparency. Lossikülvi's whisky program is young but watched with interest — Estonian rye is an excellent raw material, and the continental climate of southern Estonia (colder winters and warmer summers than the coastal regions) creates a warehouse environment that may prove conducive to relatively fast flavour development.
8. Kalev Spirits (Legacy Brand), Tallinn
Kalev is primarily associated with chocolate confectionery in Estonia, but the brand has historical connections to spirits production and continues to produce liqueurs and sweet spirits for the domestic gifting and confectionery market. The Kalev range of liqueur-filled chocolates — a Baltic tradition with equivalents in Latvia and Lithuania — requires a steady supply of spirits, and the company has maintained production relationships with domestic distillers to source appropriate bases. Kalev represents the intersection of Estonian confectionery culture and spirits tradition that is sometimes overlooked in discussions focused exclusively on premium or craft production.
9. Pöide Brewery and Distillery, Saaremaa Island
Pöide is a combined brewery and distillery on Saaremaa Island that has built a reputation for unusual and terroir-specific products. The distillery arm produces eau de vie from local fruit and berries, including sea buckthorn brandy that captures the sharp, orange-gold character of the berry in concentrated form. Sea buckthorn grows widely on Estonia's coastal dunes and is used in juices, jams, and cosmetics as well as spirits; the Pöide eau de vie is one of the few that processes it through distillation rather than maceration, yielding a spirit of greater delicacy and aromatic purity. Production is very small and mainly consumed on the island.
10. Old Distillery in Ülemiste, Tallinn
The Ülemiste area of Tallinn hosts a creative technology district built partly around a historic industrial complex, and within it a small distillery operation has been established that reflects the city's entrepreneurial spirit culture. The operation produces experimental gin and spirits using both conventional and unconventional methods, including cold-distillation and vacuum distillation techniques that preserve aromatic compounds typically lost at conventional distillation temperatures. The spirits produced have attracted attention from Tallinn's craft cocktail community and are featured in several of the city's more ambitious cocktail bars. The distillery offers tastings and tours as part of the broader Ülemiste visitor program.