South Dakota’s Craft Distillery Scene Is Worth Your Attention
When people think of South Dakota, they often picture Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, or the open prairie rolling endlessly toward the horizon. What fewer people realize is that tucked into this rugged, wide-open state is a growing community of craft distillers doing genuinely interesting work. Whether you’re a spirits enthusiast on a road trip or a local looking to explore what’s being made in your own backyard, South Dakota’s distillery trail deserves a spot on your itinerary.
To help you plan, we’ve pulled together three distilleries from across the state—each rooted in a distinct corner of South Dakota and each bringing something different to the table. If you want to see everything the state has to offer beyond these three, you can browse the full list of breweries, wineries, and distilleries in South Dakota on PourDistrict.
Glacial Lakes Distillery — Watertown, SD
Located in Watertown in the northeastern part of the state, Glacial Lakes Distillery takes its name from the region’s defining geographic feature—the glacial lakes that dot the landscape across this part of South Dakota. It’s a fitting identity for a distillery operating in a part of the state that’s often overlooked by travelers moving quickly between the Twin Cities and the Black Hills.
Watertown itself is a working, welcoming city with a strong sense of community, and a craft distillery fits naturally into that fabric. If you find yourself passing through northeastern South Dakota—or if you’re making a dedicated spirits run—Glacial Lakes Distillery is a stop worth making.
- Type: Distillery
- Location: Watertown, South Dakota
- Listed on PourDistrict: View the full listing
Black Hills Dakota Distillery — Sturgis, SD
Most people know Sturgis for one thing: the annual motorcycle rally that transforms this small Black Hills city into one of the largest gatherings in the country. But Sturgis has more going for it than a single week in August, and Black Hills Dakota Distillery is part of what makes the town worth visiting year-round.
Situated in the heart of the Black Hills region, this distillery draws on the identity of one of South Dakota’s most iconic landscapes. The Black Hills carry a sense of mythology and history that few places in the American West can match—Deadwood is just up the road, Custer State Park is nearby, and the entire area has a character that’s hard to replicate. A craft distillery rooted in that environment has a rich backdrop to draw from, and Black Hills Dakota Distillery leans into that regional pride.
Whether you’re exploring the Hills on a summer road trip or rolling through for the rally, this is a distillery that fits the spirit of the place.
- Type: Distillery
- Location: Sturgis, South Dakota
- Listed on PourDistrict: View the full listing
Stone Faces Distillery — Harrold, SD
If there’s a single distillery on this list that earns points for sheer location intrigue, it’s Stone Faces Distillery in Harrold. Situated in central South Dakota, Harrold is the kind of small town that reminds you just how vast and quiet the Great Plains can be. It’s not a place you pass through by accident—you go there with intention.
The name itself is evocative. Stone Faces calls to mind the monumental carvings of the Black Hills, the ancient geology of the Badlands, and the enduring character of the people who’ve built lives in this demanding landscape. For a distillery, that’s a strong foundation for a brand identity—and it signals that the people behind this operation are thinking carefully about what it means to make spirits in South Dakota.
Discovering a craft producer in a place like Harrold is exactly the kind of find that makes exploring a state’s full craft beverage landscape so rewarding. These aren’t spots that show up on generic travel listicles—they’re the real thing, embedded in communities that don’t often get the spotlight.
- Type: Distillery
- Location: Harrold, South Dakota
- Listed on PourDistrict: View the full listing
Plan Your South Dakota Spirits Trail
South Dakota might not be the first state that comes to mind when you think about craft spirits, but these three distilleries—spread from the glacial lakes of the northeast to the Black Hills in the west to the quiet heart of the plains—show that something real is happening here. Independent producers are putting down roots, telling stories through their spirits, and inviting curious drinkers to seek them out.
The best road trips are the ones built around discovery, and South Dakota gives you plenty of open road to work with. Whether you’re connecting a few of these spots into a weekend itinerary or simply bookmarking them for your next pass through the state, you now have a solid starting point.
Ready to explore more? Visit the full South Dakota directory on PourDistrict to find every brewery, winery, and distillery listed across the state: pourdistrict.com/breweries-wineries-and-distilleries-in-south-dakota/. Your next great pour is waiting.
