![\"Gin](\"http:\/\/upstater.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Gin-Timeline.jpg\")
From its heyday in the 1920s through its mid-century lull in popularity, gin has had a rocky course in American history. And the spirit itself, made by infusing a neutral base liquor with herbs and botanicals (namely juniper), has also seen its fair share of fluctuations.<\/p>\n
But today, things are looking up for gin. Because its broad flavor profiles make it uniquely suited to mixing, gin is getting a lot of attention in terms of the exploding cocktail culture and the craft-distilling trend. In fact, gin makes a compelling business case because it doesn\u2019t need to be aged, meaning distillers can expect to see returns on their product much sooner than with other spirits, such as whiskey, that require years of barreling and storage.<\/p>\n
Propelled by some radical shifts in New York State\u2019s distilling laws, Hudson Valley craft distillers are creating a gin renaissance, and there\u2019s never been a better time\u2014or place\u2014to enjoy it. The 2007 Farm Distillery Act greatly reduced the legal hurdles for craft distillers to produce and market their products (as long as they use 75 percent of New York State-grown ingredients), and the 2014 Craft New York Act allows distillers to serve \u201cfull pours\u201d and cocktails from their tasting rooms, further establishing the region as a tourist destination. The state also offers grants for marketing and development, including $1 million recently awarded to Empire State Cooperage to satisfy the increasing demand for oak barrels. In the past five years alone, the number of distillers in New York State has skyrocketed over 500 percent, with many of them in the Hudson Valley.<\/p>\n
While offerings in the area run the gamut, there are some common themes emerging to give Hudson Valley gins a distinct character, and chief among them is balance. Many producers are opting to limit the variety of added botanicals, using fewer but adding more of each one for more expression in the finished spirit. Distillers are by and large embracing the New American style of gin, dialing back the juniper in favor of citrus and floral notes. Local producers offer plenty of variety to satisfy the seasoned gin drinker, but if you think maybe gin isn\u2019t your thing, it may be time to give it another shot (but perhaps not literally). Almost all of the distillers featured here report visitors saying, \u201cI don\u2019t usually like gin, but I like yours.\u201d Even if you haven\u2019t drunk gin since college, these seven Hudson Valley distillers are making it like you\u2019ve never had it before, and they definitely deserve a try.<\/p>\n
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![\"TastingRoom\"](\"http:\/\/upstater.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/TastingRoom-520x347.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nStarting in 2003, Tuthilltown Spirits kicked off the craft-distilling movement in New York State after founders Ralph Erenzo and Brian Lee happened upon an obscure 2002 piece of state legislation allowing small distilleries to get a license for $1,450 instead of the $60,000 it cost back then. Since then, the two have been instrumental in legislation reducing red tape, lowering the cost of permits, and streamlining the application process, inspiring dozens of craft distillers to follow in their footsteps. It\u2019s no surprise that Tuthilltown Spirits\u2019 Half Moon Gin is equally inspiring. Erenzo and Lee use an 80 percent apple, 20-percent corn base infused with nine botanicals that\u2019s perfect for cocktails. Erenzo says they deemphasized the juniper to keep the gin\u2019s flavor from approaching medicinal. \u201cOur goal was to keep it more cocktail friendly and approachable,\u201d he explains, and \u201cto make it fun to drink.\u201d Don\u2019t take his word for it though: At Tuthill House, the distillery\u2019s adjoining restaurant, set in a historic 1788 gristmill, celebrates the current \u201cginsanity\u201d trend with special drinks, cocktail classes, and even some gin-infused food on the menu (like seasoned Brussels sprouts with an added kick). The Gin and Jam, a mixture of gin, orange juice, and jam from local farmers, is served in a mason jar, ready for shaking. The idea for Hudson Valley Distillers was born around a campfire when old friends and college frat brothers Tom Yozzo and Chris Moyer were hanging out drinking craft spirits. \u201cWe knew we could do this just as good,\u201d recalls Moyer. Fast-forward to April 2014 when Hudson Valley Distillers opened a renovated barn\u2019s doors at Spirits Grove Farm in Clermont, where Yozzo and Moyer have been making exceptional liquors ever since. Spirits Grove Gin stretches gin\u2019s definition to the limit, making for an exceptional and unusual experience. \u201cWe did a couple of experiments on the still, and found what we liked,\u201d Moyer says. Rather than start with a corn- or grain-based neutral spirit, Hudson Valley Distillers distills wine from neighboring Hudson-Chatham Winery. The gin is then flavored with a proprietary blend of botanicals, including juniper and staghorn sumac foraged on the property, which adds a soft but crisp touch of citrus. The results make for a very unusual gin. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot like a Christmas tree punching you in the face,\u201d says Moyer. The wine base is definitely expressed, creating a smooth-mouth feel, and its grape-brandy flavor might be familiar to fans of pisco\u2014in fact, it makes a great pisco sour. But Moyer likes to keep it simple. To make a Hudson Valley Foghorn, he mixes the gin chilled with ginger beer and some lime at the Cocktail Grove, an indoor\/outdoor tasting room, where visitors can bring their kids and dogs and hang out on the lawn, listening to music. Founded in 2014, Denning\u2019s Point sits at the crossroads between old and new: Its spirits have a Colonial history, but founder Karl Johnson operates his equipment from his iPhone. Great 9 Gin is named for one of the original land patents given to Hudson Valley settlers, it\u2019s decidedly modern. Instead of the typical double-barrel-juniper-blast, Great 9 Gin\u2019s floral notes of citrus form early on the palette and finish gently into a clearly defined but mellower juniper flavor, making it great for mixing. Denning\u2019s Point serves house cocktails to live music in its 2,800-square-foot tasting room, converted from an auto garage. Its Negroni Twist updates the classic combo of gin and sweet vermouth by substituting Aperol for Campari. Chris Weld has been fascinated by distilling since eighth grade, when he tried to build a still for a science fair. Luckily, his mother stopped him from committing a federal offense, but more luckily, he later pursued his passion, opening the Berkshires\u2019 first legal distillery since Prohibition. Berkshire Mountain Distillers, which has operated on an old apple orchard with its own spring in Sheffield, Massachusetts, since 2007, is a \u201cdistiller\u2019s distillery.\u201d Weld says running the spring water through his salvaged Brown-Forman still makes for an exceptional gin. \u201cThe core temperature is very gentle on the botanicals,\u201d he says, allowing them to fully express their flavor. Berkshire\u2019s flagship Greylock Gin is a juniper-forward London-dry style balanced with plenty of citrus and lots of florality, perfect for a dry martini. But gin aficionados should watch for Weld\u2019s limited-edition Ethereal Gin. Each batch is different: One emphasizes rose hips (Batch 6), another exudes brown spice (Batch 8), and others barrel age for 18 months to make what\u2019s arguably the king of Negronis. Recently, Batch 12 was in the works, but Weld kept the details top secret. Let\u2019s see what he does next. Orange County Distillery was born of a surplus of sugar beets that would\u2019ve rotted in farmer John Glebocki\u2019s barn in Goshen if he and his friend Bryan Ensall hadn\u2019t decided to turn it into vodka instead. Two years later, the distillery makes sugar beet vodka, whiskey and, of course, gin. For Glebocki and Ensall\u2019s gin, every ingredient is grown right on Glebocki\u2019s farm, including the botanicals. \u201cIf we can\u2019t grow it, we won\u2019t use it,\u201d says Ensall. The two substitute local lemon balm and citrus mint for orange peel, adding lavender for floral notes. The gin\u2019s base is 100 percent corn, distilled until neutral and infused afterwards with botanicals. Its flavor is New American, with juniper giving way to citrus for a more balanced, drinkable spirit. Try it in Not by the Hair of My Ginny-Gin-Gin at the distillery\u2019s tasting room. It\u2019s a mix of blood orange juice, gin, and mint-maple syrup that showcases a slew of notes that otherwise may go unnoticed. Prohibition Distillery in Roscoe got its start in 2009, with founders John F. K. Walsh and Brian Facquet working alongside Ralph Erenzo and Brian Lee at Tuthilltown Spirits Distillery in Gardiner. In 2013, Walsh and Facquet opened up their own place in a converted 1929 firehouse, and have been watching the accolades pile up ever since. The secret to their gin is that they start with their award-winning Bootlegger Vodka (which, last year, picked up double gold at the Fifty Best Domestic Vodka competition, and a gold at the New York International Spirits Competition), made from 100 percent New York State corn, so it\u2019s naturally gluten free. From there, Bootlegger Gin is kept simple, with only five botanicals added, so that each one is expressed in the final product. According to Facquet, one visitor to the tasting room compared Prohibition\u2019s gin to jazz, saying, \u201cYou can taste each individual note, but they all go together so well.\u201d Unlike other distillers, Prohibition set out to make a more juniper-forward, London dry-style gin, with the other botanicals helping to \u201csmooth out the finish,\u201d says Facquet, noting that its flavor was designed around a simple philosophy: \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have to explain spirits. Someone should be able to pick up a bottle without explanation and say this is a great gin.\u201d Visitors to Prohibition Distillery can feel great about drinking it too. All proceeds from tours and tastings are donated to benefit veterans\u2019 associations, says Facquet, a Navy veteran himself.
\n14 Grist Mill Lane, Gardiner \/ (845) 255-1527 \/ Tuthilltown.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"Barn-large-file\"](\"http:\/\/upstater.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Barn-large-file-520x346.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nHudson Valley Distillers<\/h3>\n
\n1727 Route 9, Germantown \/ (518) 537-6820 \/ HudsonValleyDistillers.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"Great-9-Gin\"](\"http:\/\/upstater.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Great-9-Gin-520x693.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nDenning\u2019s Point Distillery<\/h3>\n
\n10 N. Chestnut Street, Beacon \/ (845) 230-7905 \/ DenningsPointDistillery.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
Berkshire Mountain Distillers<\/h3>\n
\n356 South Main Street, Sheffield, Massachusetts \/ (413) 229-0219 \/ BerkshireMountainDistillers.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nOrange County Distillery<\/h3>\n
\n19B Maloney Lane, Goshen \/ (845) 651-2929 \/ OrangeCountyDistillery.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nProhibition Distillery<\/h3>\n
\n10 Union Street, Roscoe \/ (607) 685-8989 \/ ProhibitionDistillery.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nWarwick Winery & Distillery<\/h3>\n
![\"DSC_0142\"](\"http:\/\/upstater.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/DSC_0142.jpg\")
\n![\"GinNJam\"](\"http:\/\/upstater.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/GinNJam.jpg\")
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