About Harvest Spirits

Between the Catskills in New York and the Berkshires in Massachusetts lies the Hudson River Valley, a verdant place where trees grow strong with the help of the region's namesake waters. In one particular corner of this land sits Golden Harvest, Farms, a third-generation apple farm founded in 1957 from the remnants of an orchard once owned by Martin Van Buren. Although they can trace their lineage to a president, the owners of Harvest Spirits spend their days recreating the fruit-based spirits favored by the common men and women of colonial America. These include dry pear brandy, single-malt whiskey, and even applejack, the distinctive apple spirit that once dominated the taverns and drinking halls of early America. In keeping with the times, the drinks are artisanal affairs, distilled in small batches and aged for a minimum of two years in casks and barrels designed to add their own complex flavors to the mix. In addition to housing the next generation of spirits, the distillery also doubles as a tasting room; guests can sip samples of Harvest Spirits' products while staffers school them on the ins and outs of the distillation process.