New York State is home to some of the most distinctive and fine spirits around. A lot of those brands are a part of the New York State Distillers Guild, an association established in 2013, which now has more than 60 members across this wonderful state. Luckily for us spirit consumers, the association has put together a new website, NYDISTILLED.COM. The newย website will host information about craft spirits and their production, in addition to how they are made, tasting guides, history of distilleries in New York State, and so much more. The site is very user-friendly and searching can be done by region. One of our favorite features of NYDISTILLED.COM is the “Explore the Trails” section where you can get more information about tours and tastings. Who doesn’t love a good tasting? Speaking of tastings, The New York State Distillers Guild stretches over all 11 regions including farm and urban distilleries. They make just about every spirit imaginable; vodka, rum, whiskey, gin, brandy, vermouth, liqueurs and bitters. A majority of the distillers use locally harvested grains, pears, cherries, honey, maple syrup, apples, and other ingredients.
To launch the website, many of the members gathered all under one roof for fun walk-around tasting experiences. A few of our favorites included:
Ironweed Rye Whiskey and Bourbon Whiskey:ย The production of both bourbon and rye are virtually identical: 100% whole grain mashed, fermented, distilled, and placed in brand new charred American white oak barrels.
Coppersea from Hudson Valley:ย Coppersea is one of the few distilleries in the world where nearly every aspect of the process is conducted on site and by hand, from growing and malting to fermenting, distilling, aging, and bottling.
Hudson Manhattan Whiskey: This spicy whiskey is rich and has amazing flavor. The spiritโs peppery start transitions to a honey-cinnamon depth.
Iron Smoke: This brand uses American-made white oak barrels for aging. We enjoyed their Rattlesnake Rosie’s Apple Pie Whiskey, perfect for anyone looking for something on the sweeter side.
Van Brunt Stillhouse: The company has a few products andย carry on the agricultural heritage by making farmhouse whiskies in the heart of Brooklyn.
For more information on these brands and more, head over to NYDISTILLED.COM.
Photos courtesy of Barney Bishop & XOJOHN.COM