Founders and owners of Wiggly Bridge Distillery in York, Maine—father and son David Woods, Senior and Junior—share an entrepreneurial spirit for producing spirits (pun intended!). Their passion for, and dedication to, the art of handcrafted, small-batch distillation of fine liquor has earned Wiggly Bridge Distillery a slew of awards, not just on the Seacoast but in the nation.
Before starting Wiggly Bridge Distillery in 2012, Dave (senior) founded a variety of businesses in southern Maine—in fact, more than 30 companies over the years, with several continuing to operate today. He credits the successes, while admitting to a few failures, to his mindset of starting every venture without fear. “Each of those businesses helped shape who I am today, even the ones that didn’t make it,” Dave points out. “Each presented an opportunity to learn and improve upon whatever challenge my family and I were tackling in business.”
Dave views problem solving as a critical life skill. His wife and grown children, all of whom are involved in running the family’s various businesses, share his philosophy and dedicated work ethic. David (junior) showed an aptitude for out-of-the-box thinking and a hands-on approach from an early age. “David always showed a curiosity to learn how things work, from the time he was a boy,” Dave remembers. Fast forward years later, and David’s curiosity propelled him to learn how to build a copper still by hand—from, of all things, watching YouTube videos.
Father and son share a love for fine spirits. Over dinner one night, they jokingly pondered if they should make their own. Their joke soon turned into an actual goal and they took a leap, traveling to the Caribbean for research and to build that aforementioned copper still. Their small island operation was a success. When they returned home to Maine, they doubled down on their dream and launched Wiggly Bridge Distillery. They purchased a circa-1800s barn (which had been a hardware store for more than 40 years) and renovated it. For the last 13 years the pair has collaborated to create recipes, barrel-age and bottle their spirits onsite, and host patrons in their barn on Route 1.
“We’re not doing this for money,” Dave points out. “We’re doing this for the love of it. We built our distillery—and our other family businesses—with legacy in mind, something we hope our grandchildren and their grandchildren will carry forward.”
Dave’s vision is already playing out, with grandson Cooper, age 13, and granddaughter Isabelle, age 10, helping out at the distillery with dishwashing, lifting grain, and bottling. It’s a true family affair, with their mother—David’s wife, Amanda—running Wiggly Bridge’s marketing operations.
The distillery takes its name from a small and unassuming pedestrian suspension bridge, also in York, built in the 1930s. The story goes that a group of Girl Scouts crossing it long ago giggled as they wobbled over what they called “the wiggly bridge.” The name stuck. Said to be the world’s smallest pedestrian suspension bridge, it still stands as a testament to quality of workmanship.
“Bigger is not always better,” Dave says. “We focused on creating something small and manageable, but of the highest quality. We’re not the big guys, and we don’t want to be.” Father and son are proud that their spirit selections rival anything large, name-brand distilleries put out in mass distribution.
Wiggly Bridge distills craft batches of New England single malt whiskey, bourbon, gin, rum, vodka, and agave (tequila). Their meticulous process takes time—their bourbon, for example, is aged in barrels for eight years before it’s bottled. Their dedication has paid off in a string of first-place awards in national competitions. Their single-malt whiskey took home multiple gold medals in 2024, while their agave claimed gold in 2019. In 2017, their rum, gin, and vodka products each won gold. Silver and bronze medals from 2015 and 2014 round out the accolades, and their bourbon is currently the number-one craft bourbon in Maine and New Hampshire.
Wiggly Bridge is currently aging about 1,500 barrels of fine spirits. They aim to increase this to 5,000 barrels over the coming years. Construction is currently underway on a barn expansion project—set to include a kitchen for food offerings—and is expected to be completed by December of this year.
Wiggly Bridge Distillery
441 U.S. Route 1 | York, Maine
Wiggly Bridge Distillery | wigglybridgedistillery.com
Wiggly Bridge is open to the public seven days a week. They also offer distillery tours and custom tasting events, and the barn can be reserved for private group events. 441 Us Route 1 York, Maine
"We’re doing this for the love of it. We built this with legacy in mind, something we hope our grandchildren and their grandchildren will carry forward.”