By Fischer Genau DIGITAL MEDIA LEAD
Wildrye Distilling, already the most decorated craft distillery in Montana, is up for yet another award. This one might be the biggest. This year, USA Today selected Wildrye as one of 19 businesses up for its 2026 Best Craft Whiskey Distillery Award. People can vote for their favorite until Monday, Oct. 12, and the top ten will be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
“We’re coming up on almost 14 years of blood, sweat and tears, and to be recognized is awesome,” Alan Edmondson, Wildrye’s head distiller, told EBS.
Wildrye, located in Bozeman’s Cannery District, was founded by Phil Sullivan and Matt Moeller in 2013, and ever since, its commitment to craft and local ingredients has garnered accolades and attention. Edmondson said that every ingredient used in Wildrye’s spirits comes from Montana except for the white American oak barrels they use to age their bourbon. For their signature spirit, the Five Drops Montana Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Wildrye exclusively uses Montana sweet corn from Moeller Nursery, a century-old family farm in the Bitterroot Valley. Their use of sweet corn instead of the more common field corn removes the green, grassy flavor found in many other whiskeys, according to Edmondson.
Wildrye’s award-winning Five Drops Montana Straight Bourbon Whiskey and the Single-Barrel Bottled in Bond Five Drops Bourbon. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU 
Wildrye moved into their current distillery and tasting room in 2017. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU 
Wildrye sells a variety of spirits, including rum, rye whiskey, and apple pie liqueur. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU 
Wildrye sits in the Cannery District near Plaza Azteca, although they’re hoping to relocate to a larger location. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU
Wildrye also sells rye whiskey, gin, vodka, rum and a popular Apple Pie Liqueur, but the Five Drops bourbon is their flagship bottle. Five Drops has won numerous awards, including 2025 Sip Magazine’s Best of the Northwest Platinum designation, and that drink was a big reason Wildrye was selected by USA Today. Wildrye submitted Five Drops, along with four other products, to Sip Magazine in 2025, and all five earned awards. Later, one of Sip’s editors reached out to Wildrye to write an article about them, and that same editor was on USA Today’s expert panel for the 10Best Awards.
“We are proud of the things we make here, and getting to the point where we’re being recognized on a national level would be awesome for us,” Edmondson said.
Wildrye’s aging process
Wildrye has always taken a meticulous approach to growth. When the business launched, it occupied a tiny room tucked behind a brewery in the Cannery District. The room had a 100-gallon still and a short bar with eight chairs, and it basically functioned as a speakeasy. It was two years before they could even sell their signature drink, bourbon whiskey, because they had to wait for it to age in small, five-gallon barrels. In their fourth year, Wildrye moved into its current space, and the distillery still lives right next to the tasting room. Edmondson said they’re hoping to upgrade again soon to double the size of their still from 500 gallons to 1,000 gallons to increase production.
“We’ve had to slowly build, because you can’t spend all your money today to put whiskey in barrels that you’re not going to see cash on in four years,” Edmondson said.
As a small, local distillery, Wildrye has had to balance investment in future sales with financial reality. Wildrye sells in Montana, the Dakotas, Idaho and Wyoming, and they just expanded to Washington, but they still spend almost nothing on marketing outside of the state. If Wildrye is chosen for USA Today’s top-ten list, or if they win the award, Edmondson acknowledged that Wildrye might have a serious spike in demand.
“I’d love a big pop, like the USA Today thing, and now everybody in the country wants our stuff,” Edmondson said. “But I only have so many barrels sitting.”
Still, it’s a good problem to have. After 13 years of steady growth, Wildrye is enjoying the national recognition. Edmondson and the founders and staff at Wildrye have been encouraging their clients and followers to vote every day until USA Today’s window closes on Oct. 12. They will announce their top-ten craft whiskey distilleries and the winner on Oct. 21.
