Van Brunt Stillhouse is an urban farm distillery (first time writing that!) located in the famous borough of Brooklyn in the heart of New York City. That's right, someone is making bourbon in the American North! Dedicated to making the finest spirits using grains sourced directly from the farmers who grow them, they pride themselves in using time-honoured, traditional distilling methods with a few modern innovations thrown in for good measure. All of the produced spirits are distilled, barrelled and aged on-site in the Brooklyn urban farm complex. Founded by husband and wife team Daric Schlesselman and Sarah Ludington in 2012, Van Brunt Stillhouse was inspired by the pioneering spirit of Cornelius Van Brunt who was a farmer and founding member of the Dutch colony of Breukelen (as Brooklyn was originally known) and driven by Daric and Sarah's love of craft spirits. 19th century Brooklyn was a hub for distillers of rum, gin, and whiskey but Prohibition spelt the end of Brooklyn’s booze enterprise. Van Brunt is aiming to reclaim Brooklyn as a centre of innovated spirits. The team takes a time honoured traditional approach to distilling wheat, rye and corn directly sourced from upstate New York farmers. They make every spirit from scratch in their distillery in Brooklyn using traditional methods and their family of spirits gives a nod to classic styles while remaining exciting and creating bold and flavourful products. As master distiller, Daric brings a creativity to his recipes while working within the traditions of distilling fine spirits. He has developed a line of spirits that establishes his unique voice within traditional spirit categories.
Van Brunt Stillhouse Bourbon is a four grain, wheat bourbon distilled from New York State corn. This is aged this spirit in small, virgin oak casks for a minimum of one year. Intense aromas of straw, sawdust and orange grove waft up all at once and after a few moments clover honey, cinnamon and sultanas join the party. Dry entry leads to an even drier mid-palate with a broad, grainy dominance and a surprising, roasty finish. Coming back to this whiskey after several minutes of air, you'll find that the aromas impressively shift gears and reveal maple syrup and pecans. Awards:50 Best Bourbons (Double Gold), American Craft Spirits (Silver Medal)
This unique, small batch American spirit release from Van Brunt Still House is made from a blend of four grains. Wheat and barley are the building blocks, with supporting roles played by corn & rye. The mash bill alone makes this beauty stand out from any other American grain spirit we know. On the nose you get new oak with a bit of smoky wood. Then honey, near clover, and marmalade notes turn the profile sweeter. Fresh, grassy florals and malty cereal grains round out the experience. Everything is present in the light bodied palate with a touch of spice on the finish. Aged in small casks for 18 months, this is an excellent new craft spirit. Awards:NY International Spirits (Silver Medal)
Van Brunt Stillhouse Rye spirit is distilled from New York State rye with a touch of malted barley. Aged in small, virgin white oak casks, it's spicy on the palate with hints of coffee, chocolate, raisins & cherries, with a lovely toasted almond finish. The intensity of the grain works very well with the small barrels it goes into and after a minimum of one year the spirit is already full of cloves, orange fruits, spice, and raw vanilla.
19th Century New York City produced more Moonshine than the entire American south combined. From industrial scale operations in Manhattan to “mom and pop” stills in south Brooklyn, grain spirit was once produced in large quantities in New York City. The Stillhouse is working to revive this proud tradition. Their Moonshine stands apart from others in that it is un-aged rye spirit: 100% New York State Danko rye. The fruity, spicy notes of rye make the grain-forward spirit an excellent cocktail ingredient. This exceptionally smooth un-aged spirit is fruity on the front, with that classic spicy rye finish. The lack of oak brings the grain flavours to the forefront, making the right cocktail earthy and rich.