Distilleries You Can Tour In And Around NYC
Dec. 26, 2015, 1:19 a.m.
Whiskey lovers, are you tired of winery-hopping? These area distilleries are inviting you to swing by.
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Business-friendly regulations have led to huge growth in the upstate New York distillery scene over the past decade, and in the summer of 2013, New Jersey laws changed to permit distillery tours and tastings. From Brooklyn to the Hudson Valley to New England, here's the rundown on distilleries that offer tours and tastings of their whiskey, bourbon, vodka and other local-made spirits.
Berkshire Mountain Distillers
Berkshire Bourbon pops up on many high-end cocktail menus across the city. If you want to tour their facilities, you need to head to Sheffield, Massachusetts. The distillery is open for tours starting every hour on Friday and Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m. Tours are $10 per person and include tastings.
Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery
The Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery tasting room is open year round on Saturday and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m. Founded in 2008, they're located at Golden Harvest Farms in Valatie, a small town in Columbia County. They invite visitors to "just stop in and we'll show you how it's made in a few simple steps. Fermenting, distilling, blending, bottling and aging are all done in the same room as the tasting area, so you can take it all in as you taste". Highlights at this farm distillery include Black Raspberry Core Vodka, a few different types of Applejack (they have cherry applejack) and Rare Pear Brandy.
Catskill Distilling Company
Of course this distillery, located in Bethel Woods, across from the grounds where Woodstock took place, would have Peace Vodka. The Catskill Distilling Company offers tours and tastings daily from noon to 5 p.m. Fans of NYC history should note the tasting room has an original art deco bar from the 1939 World's Fair in Queens. Sample their Curious Gin, Most Righteous Bourbon, and other tasty spirits. Stick around for more drinks and a meal at the neighboring Dancing Cat Saloon.
Prohibition Distillery
This Catskill distillery, housed in a 1929 firehouse and former VFW hall in Roscoe, the fly-fishing capital of New York, offers daily tours and tastings from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sample the award winning Bootlegger 21 Vodka, Bootlegger 21 Gin and Bootlegger 21 Bourbon Whiskey produced just two hours from NYC. After your visit, stop by the quirky neighboring town, Livingston Manor, which hosts an annual Trout Parade and is home to the Catskill Art Society. Be sure to pick up some baked goods at Bradenburg Pastry.
Orange County Distillery
The motto at The Orange County Distillery is "You eat local. Now drink local". They also state, "We can pull a sugar beet out of the ground and turn it into vodka within a week". Housed in a lush area known for its black dirt, the distillery produces farm to bottle spirits. Stop in on Thursdays through Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. for a tasting. Or if you can't make it to scenic Goshen for a tasting and a tour, they also set up shop at the Union Square Greenmarket on Fridays and the Fort Greene Farmers Market on Saturdays. The distillery produces Bourbon Whiskey, Corn Whiskey, Vodka, Gin, and Unaged Single Malt Whiskey.
Tuthilltown Spirits Distillery
This Hudson Valley distillery opened in 2005, and is New York's first whiskey distillery since prohibition. In the past decade Tuthilltown bourbon and other spirits have shown up on cocktail menus at various NYC bars and restaurants. Tastings are held Saturdays and Sundays on the hour from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Stop by the visitors center and peruse their large selection of spirits including Tuthilltown Cacao Liqueur and Basement Bitters or have a meal at their restaurant, Tuthillhouse at the Mill.
Jersey Artisan Distilling
This Fairfield, New Jersey distillery invites folks to watch them bottle on certain evenings. While you're there, pick up some Busted Barrel Bourbon and Whiskey, Busted Barrel Rum, and Jersey Artisan Vodka and Gin. If you're in more of a touring mood, head along on Saturdays from 2 to 7 p.m and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m.
Kings County Distillery
You don't have to hop in a car to tour this local Brooklyn distillery, just head to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The distillery offers tours on Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. (the last tour leaves at 3:45). It's also open for weekday tours on Wednesdays and Fridays at 3 p.m. Tours cost $8 and are 45 minutes long. Grab some of their famed moonshine, bourbon, and chocolate whiskey. If you're also keen to pick up some prohibition era habits, be sure to purchase a copy of their book, which teaches you how to make your own moonshine.
Industry City
Have an Industry City martini at their tasting room that overlooks the bay. The tasting room at this Brooklyn-based distillery known for its tasty vodka is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 10 p.m. If you'd like a "hard hat" tour of the distillery, they offer them on Saturdays at 3 p.m., but you need to reserve a spot.
Lazy Eye Distillery
You have to admit, this Southern New Jersey distillery located near Atlantic City has the best name. Vodka fans should visit one of their two locations, in Wildwood or Richland. Tours and tastings are held on Saturdays at Richland from 1 to 5 p.m., but Wildwood's tours are seasonal and ended in September (you can still book a private group tour until the end of October).
Alison Lowenstein, Gothamist Getaways editor, is the author of NYC guidebooks and the Brooklyn expert at About.com. She has covered travel for National Geographic Traveler, Newsday, NY Daily News, Travelandleisure.com, etc. When she isn't planning trips, she enjoys jogging around the streets of NYC. Despite her athletic pursuits, her favorite food is the donut. You can find her on Twitter at @cityweekendsnyc
