Hudson Whiskey NY Back Room Deal Straight Rye Whiskey

About Hudson Whiskey

Tuthilltown Distillery is New York’s first legal distillery since the Prohibition era. It was established in 2003 by Ralph Erenzo and his partner Brian Lee in the old Tuthilltown Gristmill that Erenzo purchased a few years earlier with a plan to start a climbing center. They converted one of the mill granaries to a micro-distillery, and brought the tradition of small batch spirits production back to the Hudson Valley. Two and a half years later, Tuthilltown Spirits produced their first batches of vodka from scraps collected at a local apple slicing plant. Erenzo is a true pioneer of modern-day craft distilling who not only opened the city’s first distillery, but also pushed for legislative changes that allow New York farms to establish distilleries on site, which eventually brought on a distilling renaissance across the US. Through sustainable growth, the company reached the stage when the partners were approached by William Grant and Sons to sell the distillery. Instead, they negotiated the sale of the Hudson whiskey brand, while keeping the control over the product through the distillery, becoming the first craft brand to be picked up by a major house.

Driven by innovation, collaboration, art, and exploration, and inspired by the bright lights of Broadway, the scenic views of the majestic Hudson Valley, and city's brilliant, creative and resilient people, the distillery turns the high-quality grain from local family farmers into award-winning whiskeys that capture the thrill that is New York. As their whiskeys quietly matured over the last decade, the creative team continued to experiment with new grains, blends and cask finishes, pushing the limits once again, and making the whiskey the way they want to: bold, yet refined, artful and unapologetic.