cp_ferree Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 This weekend a friend and I went down to see Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn and if anyone is in the area, I recommend it. I've been on some of the tours in KY, and this was definitely a different perspective on things. The guide gave a much more New York centric version of the history of distilling/whiskey. It's a pretty small operation (was started in an 800 sq ft apartment in Bushwick) but they've purchased two new decent sized pot stills and are getting ready to gear up production. They have a great building in the Navy Yard--the distilling happens downstairs, the booze is stored in 5 gallon barrels upstairs. They're currently making 3 different spirits--a moonshine that's 80/20 corn/barley, a bourbon that's 70/30 corn/barley, and a moonshine that's been infused with cocoa husks from a local chocolatier. Tasting and tour is $8--pricey, but the tour lasted 45 min and we got to try all three products. We also made it to the New York Distilling Co which is producing 2 great gins. We used the Brooklyn Spirits Trail map provided by Jack from Brooklyn, the maker of Sorel liqueur. We had a good enough experience that I'm sure I'll go back to check out some of the other sites on the trail. If you go, I recommend checking the tour hours--we were only able to make it to those two distilleries because tour times tend to be pretty limited. It's not KY, but worth an afternoon if you're in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynBorbone Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Be sure to check out the Breuckelen Distillery in Sunset as well...real working small distillery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theglobalguy Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 They give a sense of whether they're using the small barrels for some reason other than "faster" aging? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Yeah, what's up with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theglobalguy Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Does have a certain "terra cotta warriors" feel to it though. Turn the corner expect to see a few normal size ones, then pow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cp_ferree Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 They give a sense of whether they're using the small barrels for some reason other than "faster" aging? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cp_ferree Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Be sure to check out the Breuckelen Distillery in Sunset as well...real working small distillery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theglobalguy Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 They did cite "faster aging," and also said they felt like it gave them more control. I'm guessing space has a lot to do with it as well. They just don't have a whole lot of room for full sized barrels.I'd argue volume of liquid in the larger barrel would actually take up less space, but i digress. Glad they're honest about the aging aspect. Looks like a cool facility for a smaller distiller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 'More control' sounds like something they thunk up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts