New World Distillery is a food and drink brand founded in Eden, Utah, in 2016.
New World Distillery in Eden has argued with Washington over two words. Its Rabbit and Grass can't be called tequila, which by law comes from Mexico, so Chris Cross calls it an agave spirit. The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau wanted "a spirit distilled from agave." In 2020 Cross told Utah Business the bureau had been "in a constant battle with me" over it.
Cross flew for the Navy and distilled in his backyard. His wife, Ashley, taught English. They used to visit Mexico two or three times a year "to see how many distilleries we could visit," he said. They broke ground on a 4,300 square foot barn lookalike in March 2016 and opened that December 10 selling one spirit, Oomaw Gin.
The resemblance to tequila ends at the fermenter. Rabbit and Grass Blanco is fermented with champagne yeast. The still is an iStill, which Cross calls "a fractioning column under the control of a computer."
In May 2020 agave spirits became an official US type, and Cross credits much of that to New World. The organic blue Weber agave comes from Jalisco. The label says agave spirit, the two words Cross fought for.
New World's Ogden Valley Vodka is distilled from organic blue agave, and SLUG Magazine reported it is one of only two agave vodkas in the world.
