5 great Hudson Valley distilleries to get your drink on

Publish date: 2024-07-11

Pretentiously swirling a glass of pinot noir in a sunlit tasting room, while staring out at rolling hills of vineyards, has long been a lovely way to spend a weekend, but why should vino have all the fun?

In the past decade, the Big Apple’s craft-spirits scene has exploded, thanks to eased regulations and a growing thirst for small-batch booze.

There are now about 70 New York “farm distilleries” — where at least 75 percent of the raw materials come from within the state — up from less than a dozen a few years ago. Some of these distilleries even grow the grains and botanicals for their liquors to control everything that goes into the bottle, and many offer tours and charming tasting experiences.

Have a sip at one of these picturesque upstate spots.

Orange County Distillery

19B Maloney Lane, Goshen, NY

“You eat local, now drink local” is the motto at this small upstart, which will celebrate its first anniversary later this month.

Co-founder John Glebocki is a fifth-generation vegetable farmer. He got the idea to start growing grains on a portion of his 120-acre Orange County property to make spirits after talking with his wife’s cousin, Bryan Ensall, at a party.

“Like all good ideas, it started with alcohol,” quips Ensall, who previously worked in insurance and lawn care.

All of the corn, barley, wheat and botanicals are grown right on the farm, a short walk from the barnyard tasting room, where you can sample the distillery’s gin, vodka and various whiskeys and see how it’s all made, right in the back, from crop to bottle.

Though the company is young, its spirits are served at the critically lauded Blue Hill at Stone Barns restaurant. They’re devoted to doing everything themselves, even malting their barley — a process by which the grain germinates after being soaked in water and then dried in hot air.

The area’s particularly rich “black dirt” is said to impart a special terroir on the spirits. “It finishes or starts with the earth tone; there’s a hint of the barn,” says Glebocki.

Try this: The unaged single malt whiskey is a clear spirit that has the peaty taste of Scotch without its complexity, making it a unique ingredient for cocktails.

Open Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.; tastings are $4, fee waived with purchase of a bottle; orangecountydistillery.com

Hillrock Estate Distillery

408 Pooles Hill Road, Ancram, NY

Jeff Baker, a finance guy who splits his time between the Upper East Side and a beautiful upstate house built in 1806 by a Revolutionary War general, only opened his distillery in 2010, but already he’s racked up accolades, including numerous medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

It helps that he’s got Dave Pickerell on his team. Pickerell spent 14 years working as the master distiller for Maker’s Mark before leaving the company to make small-batch spirits.

“They can make in a day what we can do in a year,” Pickerell says.

All of the organic barley, rye and corn are grown right on the hilly, picturesque 250-acre farm.
“When you’re in the tasting room, you’re looking out at the field your whiskey was grown in,” says Baker.

Hillrock recently started malting its own barley in a stately barn built just for the purpose. The process takes three to four days, with one ton of barley, spread out across a cement floor, raked every six to eight hours like a Zen garden.

“It’s pretty labor intensive,” says Baker. “It’s kind of a lost art.”

Try this: The solera-aged bourbon is made using a process usually reserved for sherry, in which the aging barrels of booze are only ever partially emptied and then topped off repeatedly with unaged spirits every few years.

E-mail info@hillrockdistillery.com to arrange tours and tastings; hillrockdistillery.com

Hudson Valley Distillers

1727 Route 9, Clermont, NY

Located on a route strewn with wineries, this unpretentious newcomer offers easygoing good times. There’s a bar and outdoor courtyard called the Cocktail Grove where visitors can wile away their day and enjoy drinks like the Nonny Rose ($10), made from the distillery’s own applejack, pomegranate juice, maple syrup and lemon juice.

“The whole idea with this place is to be a destination, where you can sit around for a few hours,” says Chris Moyer, who founded the distillery in April 2014 after working as a CPA for years in Virginia.

While the distillery does do a bourbon, it focuses more on vodka, gin and applejack — a high-proof spirit made from apples that was popular in Colonial times and is back in vogue with cocktail geeks. The distillery is housed in a 100-year-old red barn, and Moyer has a knack for explaining the spirits-making process in a simple, easy-to-understand manner on group tours.

He currently grows on-site only the botanicals for his gin, but Moyer hopes to grow apples on his own 12 acres in the coming years.

“I’d like to have every inch of this farm planted,” he says.

Try this: Hudson Valley Distillery makes three applejacks. Two are aged and caramel-colored, per usual, but there’s also a unique unaged applejack, with clear apple notes and a slightly oily mouthfeel.

$10 for a tour and tasting on Friday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.; hudsonvalleydistillers.com

Catskill Distilling Company

2037 Route 17B, Bethel, NY

Right across the road from the site of the original Woodstock festival, this charming distillery boasts a restaurant called the Dancing Cat Saloon in a beautiful old Victorian house, a smaller cafe and bar, a sculpture garden, and a slightly psychedelic aesthetic. But that’s not to say they’re not serious about their whiskey making.

Co-owner Monte Sachs is a horse veterinarian and a booze-maker, and he explains the chemical processes involved in distilling with science-class precision.

It looks simple but the fine points of distillation are very difficult to understand — if not, everyone would make great whiskey.

- Catskill Distilling Company co-owner Monte Sachs

“It looks simple but the fine points of distillation are very difficult to understand — if not, everyone would make great whiskey,” says Sachs, who owns the place with wife Stacy Cohen, during a tour. The facility boasts custom-made copper stills imported from Germany and a huge barn of aging barrels of whiskey that almost intoxicates upon entry.

Italian native chef Pietro Bortolotti joined the team about a year ago, bringing sophisticated fare to the bar and restaurant, and he’ll whip up bites to pair with tastings. “The food is a combination of American, Italian and Latino influences,” he says. “The flavor [of the alcohol] is enhanced by what you eat.”

Try this: The One and Only Buckwheat is a rare whiskey made with 80 percent buckwheat. Slightly sweet with hints of vanilla and grain, it’s a bit like sipping a stack of pancakes.

Tours and tastings offered daily from noon to 6 p.m. at no cost; catskilldistillingcompany.com

Tuthilltown Spirits Distillery

14 Grist Mill Lane, Gardiner, NY

Opened in 2005, Tuthilltown Spirits, which helped launch New York’s craft-whiskey craze, claims it’s the state’s first whiskey distillery since Prohibition.

“We’re like the granddaddies,” quips Gable Erenzo, whose father, Ralph, is a co-founder.

The operation is slick and homey. There’s a visitors’ center, a large tasting room and gift shop selling the distillery’s popular whiskeys — which have become ubiquitous at Brooklyn booze shops — as well as other spirits, apparel and even barrels so you can age your own booze.

The Tuthill House at the Mill restaurant sits right on the banks of the rushing Shawangunk Kill, and is housed in a mill from the 1770s.

It serves elegant fare, like pan-seared duck breast with warm cabbage salad ($23), and cocktails. There are even plans to open a bed-and-breakfast on the 36-acre property in the fall. “Everything you need is right on-site,” says Erenzo.

Try this: A special division of “Research &Development” spirits are available only at the distillery. The cacao liqueur is surprisingly subtle and tasty.

Tours are offered hourly from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for $10; advanced booking recommended; tuthilltown.com