Note: A shorter version of this digital article ran in our February 2025 print issue.
From bootlegging in the Prohibition era to the recent craft beverage resurgence, the Hudson Valley has a reputation for serving up inventive booze. It remains the country’s oldest winemaking region, and area breweries have taken advantage of ideal hop-growing conditions and other local ingredients for beers with unparalleled flavor. However, few Valley specialties pack more of a punch than its liquor.
Generations of talented distillers – equal parts artists, farmers, and chemists – have honed their skills and become masters of their craft without losing the creative “gonzo” energy of their forefathers. The industry is ever-expanding, and new voices are constantly putting new spins on old trades.
In the Hudson Valley, farm-to-table doesn’t stop at restaurants. The grain-to-glass movement is in full swing, with farm distillery-licensed makers boasting products made entirely from New York ingredients. Of course, there is a special connection between place and produce. And, as a liquid terroir develops, the story of the Hudson Valley is painted just as vividly as any of the works from the Hudson River School.
The Hudson Valley Distilleries
Cocktail chemists and liquor enthusiasts rejoice! Whether you have the refined palate of an elderly Scotsman or are just getting into spirits, the Hudson Valley is a wonderland for craft beverages.
An entire range of styles and distilling philosophies creates a diverse beverage trail – just make sure you have a designated driver! Vodkas and gins make for amazing summer cocktails, while local bourbons rival anything from Kentucky.
P.S. Are we missing a spot? Email us here so we can add it.
Albany County / Capital Region
1857 Spirits
Middleburgh
Known for: Vodka made from potatoes grown in mineral-rich soils
In Schoharie Valley, the six-generation Barber family farm is one of the only American distilleries growing its own potatoes and using its own spring water to create fine vodka. “We’re lucky to be in one of the most fertile valleys. I can throw a stone from the distillery to the potato field—all of our ingredients come from our estate,” says head distiller Elias Barber, who creates sipping vodkas that can truly stand on their own. 1857 Spirits’ spring water lends a slight sweetness and creamy mouthfeel, and their potatoes grown in rich, alluvial soils lead to new and interesting flavors.
The signature vodka is Eastern European-style, so it perfectly matches with flavors like caramel and vanilla. There are limited seasonal releases as well, including vodkas made from red and blue potatoes. You can find 1857 Spirits at many Valley-based wine and spirits shops and the occasional farmers’ market.
Signature sip: 1857’s “barreled” vodka (with heavy notes of nougat and nutmeg) rests in Virgin American white oak barrels, essentially becoming an alternative to whiskey.
Albany Distilling Co.
Albany
Known for: Canned cocktails
View this post on Instagram
A small operation downtown, Albany Distilling Co. expertly crafts one batch at a time. Experimentation runs wild here, and several concoctions only hit bottles one time. You’ll never have the same thing twice here, and the expansive imagination for cocktails can kick off a stellar weekend in Albany.
Signature sip: Awakened Spirit vodka with coffee features bold flavors from Death Wish Coffee java.
Columbia County
Cooper’s Daughter Spirits
Claverack
Known for: Infused spirits and flavored liqueurs
When Sophie Newsome and her father Stuart took over the historic property that once belonged to lawyer, Federalist politician, Speaker of the New York State Assembly, and distiller Jacob Rutsen van Rensselaer, they created a distillery that’s different from the rest. For starters, they focus on infused spirits and liqueurs using ingredients from local farms, but they’re also a cooperage, as Stuart, a carpenter by trade, makes the distillery’s barrels using New York oak. When you visit their laid back, picturesque property you’ll want to stop into the enclosed barn (complete with a fireplace) for tasting flights, neat pours, and an array of creative cocktails, though their spacious outdoor area is hard to beat, with its fair share of fire cauldrons.
Signature sip: Some are seasonal like raspberry and black pepper or Thai basil (summer only), while rhubarb-honey vodka, mulled peach whiskey, and black walnut bourbon are available year-round.
Harvest Spirits
Valatie
Known for: Hard cider and Applejack
Golden Harvest Farms was established in 1957, but the land has been used to grow apples since the late 1800s. Harvest Spirits Distillery stands between the verdant orchards and road stand. Head for the comfy, dog-friendly tasting room to sip John Henry Single Malt Whiskey, or opt for a creative cocktail with vodka or brandy.
Signature sip: The John Henry Single Malt Whiskey is rested in new oak and then aged in Applejack barrels for five years.
Hillrock Estate Distillery
Ancram
Known for: New York State innovators
Pioneers in our own backyard, Hillrock’s founders, the husband-and-wife team of Jeffrey Baker and Cathy Franklin (along with the late Dave Pickerell, a master distiller formerly of Maker’s Mark), were the first to apply the solera method—invented in Spain for producing sherry—to bourbon. The precise, intricate method relies on a fractional blending system where older wine is mixed with younger wine, resulting in a consistent final product. Since then, the solera method has been used for vinegar, beer, whiskey, and more—but never bourbon, until now. Hillrock’s smooth, figgy, fruity, nutty, somewhat spicy Solera Bourbon is achieved by a pyramid system of barrels that never gets emptied. Younger years are on the bottom, older years as you move up, and a small amount of whiskey is taken from the lower tiers and moved into the upper older barrels before the final blend is finished in oloroso sherry casks.
Signature sip: It’s all about their Solera Bourbon, but if you have a chance for anything limited, take a taste and make a spirited decision.
Hudson Valley Distillers
Clermont
Known for: Ready-to-pour cocktails
This hyper-local distillery strives to create spirits with broad appeal. “We’re a ‘farm distillery,’ which means at least 75 percent of our ingredients must be from New York, and we surpass that,” owner Chris Moyer says. In addition to the signature Applejack and Bourbon Whiskey, HVD offers ready-to-drink bottled cocktails. For instance, try gin-based Basil Crush, vodka-based Lemon Drop, and the Sidecar featuring bourbon.
Signature sip: Applejack is uniquely American and Hudson Valley-enhanced. Local apples fuel the regional twist on Irish whiskey.
Dutchess County
Denning’s Point Distillery
Beacon
Known for: The bar crowd
Weekends on Beacon’s Main Street are always bustling, but make sure you take that slight turn onto N. Chestnut Street where after a few steps, you’ll find Denning’s Point Distillery. Having just celebrated their 10th anniversary, Denning’s Point is still going strong with a deep menu of cocktails featuring their spirits, each distilled using grains, corn, and fruit from family farms within 50 miles. Inside what was once an auto body shop, you’ll find a mix of locals and tourists crashing the bar or huddled around an oak barrel “table” sipping riffs on classic cocktails. Pro tip: Visit on Fridays during happy hour when house drinks are $5.
Signature sip: Their four-year oak-aged Beacon Bourbon and their Maid of the Meadow, a wheat vodka infused with wild herbs and wild honey, are World Spirits Competition award winners.
Taconic Distillery
Stanfordville
Known for: Just chilling (and epic maple Old Fashioneds)
A few years after the husband-and-wife team of Paul and Carol Ann Coughlin began making bourbon as a weekend hobby, they started doing it professionally out of a small facility in a residential part of Stanfordville. Today, Taconic Distillery produces some of the state’s most popular bourbons, along with gin, rum, rye, and some barrelstrength and cask-finished bourbons (plus an irresistible bourbon cream that’s like drinking a spiked milkshake). Inside the tasting room, it’s small and cozy with a handful of bar stools, a few soft leather lounge chairs, and some high tops. Outside, though, is where you’ll see most of the Saturday-only crowd kicking back in Adirondack chairs; fire pits keep you toasty while you gaze at the hilly landscape.
Signature sip: A perfectly sweet and strong maple old fashioned, spun from their Double Barrel Maple Bourbon, a collaboration with Catskill Mountain Sugarhouse who fills Taconic’s freshly emptied bourbon barrels with their Grade A organic maple syrup.
Tenmile Distillery
Wassaic
Known for: Premium single malt
Stepping inside Tenmile, a former dairy barn, is like entering a warm, inviting log cabin. And the pleasant aroma that makes you crave a drink? That’s the sweet scent of malted barley from a premium single malt whiskey. Master distiller Shane Fraser—formerly of Scotland’s Wolfburn Distillery—also produces Tenmile’s Listening Rock Gin and Sinpatch Vodka. But Tenmile’s baby is a single malt by the name of Little Rest—made from sprouted barley from Hudson Valley Malt in Germantown. Adhering to all the other guidelines for producing single malt, it’s made in a single distillery, distilled in copper pot stills, and aged a minimum of three years in oak casks.
Signature sip: The Wassaic (whiskey, sweet vermouth, aromatic bitters, and orange bitters) that uses Little Rest single malt for a fancier take on a Manhattan.
Orange County
Black Dirt Distillery
Warwick
Known for: Bourbon made from grains grown in dark, fertile soils
It all started at Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery, where Black Dirt Bourbon first debuted. Aged for a minimum of four years in new charred American oak, this spirit utilizes corn grown in the Drowned Lands, a wetland complex formed on the floodplains of the Wallkill River. The distillery’s bourbon and Apple Jack were so popular that it opened a 4,000-square-foot distillery in Pine Island in 2013 to meet demand.
Signature sip: Potentially the only bourbon in the world produced from black dirt grain, Black Dirt Bourbon is a must-try for whiskey aficionados.
Orange County Distillery
Goshen
Known for: Cocktail classes
If you’re looking for a gorgeous country-chic environment, Orange County Distillery’s tasting room at Brown Barn Farms is the spot. Barreled gins, corn whiskeys, and vodkas equally delight on their own or in inventive cocktails, many of which are made with Hudson Valley produce. Every weekend, Melt Food Truck is parked outside the tasting room for warm accoutrements to go with your cocktail.
Signature sip: One of OCD’s flagship specialties, Sugar Beet Vodka is made with white beets and exhibits flavors of banana peel and strawberry leaf – perfect for springtime.
Spirits Lab Distilling
Newburgh
Known for: Bottle cocktails made with hyperlocal ingredients
Directly across from George Washington’s Revolutionary War headquarters in Newburgh, Spirits Lab Distilling turns out a line of top-tier liquors that we bet the Founding Fathers would rave about, including a triple-filtered vodka, London Dry-style gin, bourbon, and rye whiskey. The East End Gin (named after Spirits Lab’s location in Newburgh’s east end) includes both traditional botanicals and plants native to the Hudson Valley. “We were able to source local ingredients including chamomile, elderberry, and lemongrass that are amazing complements to the juniper we import from Italy,” says managing partner Matt Frohman.
The Spirits Lab Cocktail Collection follows the same philosophy, adding unique twists to classic drinks. The tasting room and cocktail bar is the perfect place to discover new flavor combinations, such as a Sicilian orange Negroni, hibiscus Cosmopolitan, or rosé vodka lemonade. For those seeking something truly different, consider ordering the Classic Caipirinha, made with Cuca Fresca Cachaça, a Brazilian spirit made from organic sugarcane. The tasting room and distillery also host fun events, like live music, food trucks, book signings, and more.
Signature sip: Spirits Lab vodka is ultra-clean and extremely smooth. If you’re a sipping vodka skeptic, try this one on the rocks and prepare to be wowed.
Ulster County
Arrowood Farms
Accord
Known for: A fantastic farm experience
One of the clearings in the mountainous forest on Lower Whitfield Road reveals Arrowood Farms, a true gem in Accord, where you could realistically spend the whole day. Arrowood’s spacious farm isn’t only home to chickens (some that run amok), several flower varietals, and a hop yard, but it’s the site of both a distilling operation and a farm brewery. Their spirits—gin, vodka, bourbon, and rye—are made with 100 percent New York State grain. If you’re hanging out, stroll around the farm, snag a picnic table, or chill in the cozy tasting room where there aren’t just cocktails, but 10 draft lines, plus cans and bottles of Arrowood’s beers that range from clean pilsners and funky wild ales to hoppy IPAs.
Signature sip: Small batch dry gin that’s distilled from rye and wheat with aromatics of honeysuckle, chamomile, rosehip, orris root, lemon thyme, coriander, bergamot, and juniper.
Coppersea Distilling
New Paltz
Known for: A stellar selection of brown liquors
Made in the Hudson Valley is one thing; made “of the Hudson Valley” is another. That’s the tagline at Coppersea Distilling where they grow their own corn and rye on their 75-acre property. And what they can’t grow themselves, they source from farms within 20 miles. Coppersea is a throwback when it comes to its distilling practices: Think along the lines of copper pot stills and making runs under a direct fire, along with open fermentation, allowing wild yeasts and microflora to add flavor and complexity to the mash. They were also the first in the state to floor malt and manually rake the grains for aeration. All of these methods, plus the fact that their whiskeys are barreled at 105-proof so there’s not much proofing down with water after oak maturation (meaning you’re not getting an overly diluted final product), add up to a distillery that’s all about flavor.
Signature sip: Cocktails are big here, like smooth Manhattans (and other classics), spiked ciders in the fall, and whiskey sour slushies when the weather warms.
Hudson House and Distillery
West Park
Known for: Themed parties and brunches
Hospitality and craft spirits vets Paul Seres and Charles Ferri turned an 1850s Italian revival manor (and former monastery) into an impressive destination distillery. The first phase of development included an elegant bar and tasting rooms, an expansive four-season deck overlooking the Hudson River’s eastern shores, and a beautiful bridal suite. “Part of our job is telling the story of this place. We want people to come here for the experience, and to form new memories through our storytelling,” Seres says.
Hudson House’s first releases were exclusively bourbon and rye whiskey—a true Empire Rye, made from 100-percent New York ingredients. The Altair Vodka is a two-time pot-distilled and 30-time micro-distilled spirit infused with naturally soft “sweet water” from an onsite artesian well that’s tapped into a Catskill aquifer. Altair means “eagle,” a nod to the area’s native wildlife.
Signature sip: Catskill Mountain water brings out the best of Black Creek Whiskey, excellent on the rocks or in a Manhattan.
Stoutridge Winery and Distillery
Marlboro
Known for: An expansive roster of products
Old-world spirits with new-age presentation is the theme at Stoutridge Winery and Distillery. Tour its Italian-style, scenic property—nestled in a limestone ridge by the Hudson—and explore ultra-clean vodkas, gins, brandies, and more via expert-guided tastings. But that’s not all: Stoutridge is becoming a player in the absinthe and specialty liqueur game.
“I’ve got a sensitive palate and I’ve been making natural wines for 40 years. Absinthe is one of the few spirits to equal natural wine in complexity,” says owner Steve Osborn. Two must-try absinthes include Scherzo, which has a stunning green (“verte”) hue and Prelude, a blanche style.
Signature sip: Quartarium Seed, a sweet liqueur blend between rose petals and hyssop.
Tuthilltown Spirits Distillery
Gardiner
Known for: A hands-on day trip
You’re at your go-to local pub or you’re sitting at the bar at one of your favorite restaurants… Take a gander at the shelves and they likely have a bottle or two of a bourbon or rye from Tuthilltown Spirits Distillery—you know, the one with the label that reads “Hudson Whiskey NY.” Chances are, it’s Bright Lights, Big Bourbon, with its caramelly, vanilla notes, distilled from New York corn, and versatile in any bourbon cocktail (hence, why it’s on the shelf). But don’t snooze on a visit because you can find Tuthilltown’s products elsewhere. Make it a point to swing by their property to partake in a tour that’s a combination of history, the distillery’s origin story, and a guided tasting. Or for something more hands-on, there’s a mixology class that teaches how to craft a Manhattan, old fashioned, or a sour, along with the art of making your own syrups, how to juice, and all about the usage of bitters. If you’d rather just sip and chill, visit the tasting room, located in one of the area’s first gristmills, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Signature sip: Bright Lights, Big Bourbon is a given, but those thirsting for spice and sweetness should look towards Short Stack, a rye whiskey aged in American oak barrels and finished in Vermont maple syrup barrels. Or for a straight rye it’s Do The Rye Thing. All three are made solely with local ingredients.
Each distillery crafts hyperlocal sips using New York State grains and other ingredients from nearby farms.
Sullivan County Catskills
Catskill Provisions
Callicoon
Known for: Queer woman-owned and -operated
We were fascinated to find out that Claire M. Marin, founder and head distiller of Catskill Provisions, tends to hundreds of beehives in the Catskill Mountains and then infuses the wildflower honey into her grain-to-glass vodkas, gins, and whiskeys. The gastro-distillery produces Pollinator Gin and Pollinator Vodka from local organic corn, handcrafted honey, and Catskill Mountain spring water for an unusual flavor profile. For her Pollinator Gin, Marin uses juniper berries, verbena, chamomile, and angelica.
Signature sip: Pollinator Gin features interesting botanicals like verbena, chamomile, and angelica. Catskill Mountain spring water, local wildflower honey, and other Hudson Valley ingredients make this spirit a real winner.
Do Good Spirits
Roscoe
Known for: Live music and Catskills views
This distillery makes gins, bourbons, and liqueurs out of a century-old brick firehouse. Smoothness is the defining characteristic across the repertoire of spirits. Using charcoal filtration, Do Good removes components that can lead to a harsh aroma in vodka. Lemon verbena, orris root, and orange peel mellow out the sting of juniper in Bootlegger Gin. The Bootlegger Gin rests in empty, leftover bourbon barrels which create a hybrid spirit filled with caramelized sugar, vanilla, and clove notes. Visits are fun during warmer months when tables line the street and musicians perform live from a stage opposite the distillery.
Signature sip: The Beaverkill Bourbon Cream combines Western New York dairy, Crown Maple syrup, and Do Good’s own bourbon.
Rock Valley Spirits
Long Eddy
Known for: A rustic farmhouse vibe
Over five generations ago, notable fur trapper and brewer Will Milk made spirits from honey, blackberries, and other ingredients sourced from his Callicoon farm. Five generations later, husband and wife Jim and Terry Milk run Rock Valley Spirits. Not only does it craft one of the few gins in the world that uses juniper foraged from the Catskills, but the Sullivan County farm also yields raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and elderberries that make their way into flavored vodkas and liqueurs. Celebrating hyper-local terroir is at the forefront: the Milks use wooden, open-top fermenters, exposing spirits to the environment and allowing their home-grown flora to interact with the spirits; their water comes from a deep well below the farm.
“Solid rock all the way down means the well water doesn’t require casing. It’s separate from surface water, so it’s not impacted by acid rain or drought. It’s a very soft, mineral-free water, similar to Scottish water found in Speyside whiskeys,” says Terry. This is key, especially for the single malt whiskey and Empire Rye. Visitors can enjoy raspberry gimlets and other cocktails in the taproom (housed in a red barn). Conversely, they can sip on the bluestone patio with views of the Catskill Mountains.
Signature sip: Rock Valley Spirits single malt whiskeys feature 100-percent New York malted barley.
Related: Your Comprehensive Guide to the Wineries of the Hudson Valley
