Local distilleries expand operations – Times Herald

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The saying that a rising tide lifts all boats is true in the Hudson Valley — except here it’s a wave of whiskey, apple jack and bourbon.

As part of the craft spirits Renaissance, local distilleries are expanding their operations and product lines to meet the growing demand for artisan hooch.

Tuthilltown Spirits — whose whiskey line is a Manhattan cocktail bar darling — is in the midst of a $1 million expansion that will increase fermentation efficiency by 7 to 10 percent, generating another 15 to 20 gallons of whiskey each day. Tuthilltown will operate 24 hours a day and add another two employees when the project is finished in the spring, said Gable Erenzo, the distillery’s brand ambassador.

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Distillery also set to expand

The Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery is building a barn in Pine Island, buying a new still and developing a liquor line under the Black Dirt Distillery Company label. Warwick — known for its Doc’s Draft Hard Cider — plans to debut Black Dirt Bourbon and an as-yet-unnamed apple jack this summer, said master distiller/co-owner Jason Grizzanti. He’s thinking of producing rye and single-malt down the line.

The company used existing stills to make the bourbon and apple jack, but will employ the new machinery in the Pine Island barn later this year, said Jeremy Kidde, Grizzanti’s business partner.

A federal excise tax reduction bill for small producers, currently in the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, could generate future distillery growth. The legislation cuts back the tax on alcohol from about $13.80 a gallon to less than $2.50, Erenzo said. At full capacity, the tax reduction could save Tuthilltown $700,000 a year, Erenzo said.

Australian firm considers area

Both Grizzanti and Erenzo have local roots: Grizzanti’s family has owned the farm where the distillery is located for more than 20 years, while Erenzo is a Putnam County native.

A foreign company soon may join their pursuits.

An Australian spirits producer is considering opening a location in the Hudson Valley, said Mike Oates, the President and CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp.

A ‘product revival’

Distilled spirits are the last in a line of alcoholic beverages to get a craft makeover.

Wine and beer led the artisan product revival, said Bill Owens, chairman of The American Distilling Institute.

“Now, it’s our turn,” he said.

Spirits likely came last in the revolution because of an inherent fear of high-proof alcohol, Erenzo said.

The distillation process produces flammable vapors, and a wrong move could cause an explosion, he said. Beer brewing and wine fermentation do not pose the same threat.

A passion for European fruit spirits led Grizzanti and his business partner, Jeremy Kidde, into the booze business.

The Catskill Distillery Company in Bethel and Tuthilltown share the same spirit of experimentation.

Another firm has own plans

Catskill Distilling Company Owner Monte Sachs is toying with four different kinds of whiskeys aged in a special maturation hut. He currently produces Peace Vodka. Sachs is still working on the names and bottles for the new spirits.

Erenzo has been working for about three years developing an aged apple brandy from special varietal apples not used since before Prohibition. The first step in bringing the liquor to market was grafting the varietals to existing root systems at a nearby farm. Next year, there should be enough fruit for an apple eau de vie, an unaged brandy, and, in a few more years, an apple brandy.

jdinapoli@th-record.com

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