rum – the still trippers

Mad River Distillers

Visit #20, April 9, 2016

The road recently thawed on this mid-Spring day in Vermont. The night before there was some snow which probably made the skiers over at Sugarbush happy. On top of Cold Springs Farm Road just south of Waitsfield, VT, sits Mad River Distillers, a five-year old distillery making rum, whiskey and rye. Cold Springs Farm dates back to the mid-19th century and became a horse farm later in its life. The horse barn on the farm became what is now the distillery in 2011 and began to produce spirits in 2013.

Vermont is a very picturesque state and the location of this farm, now distillery, is amazing with the mountains in the background. Our group consisted of some members of the Saratoga Whisk(e)y Club, and we were all very excited to get inside to check out what they were producing. Saratoga Whiskey Club

Our host, one of two distillers at Mad River Distillers, was Zack Fuller. Zack studied distilling in Scotland and is now distilling and experimenting in this beautiful spot in Northern Vermont. He provided our group with an excellent overview of their process and equipment. Here are some notes from our tour:

distilling takes place 7 days a week
pre-milled grains come from a 300-mile radius (Vermont, New York and Massachusetts)
fair trade sugars from Malawi used for rum
Vermont apples are used for brandy
250 gallon mash tank
4 500 gallon fermentation tanks for whiskey and rye, this fermentation lasts 4-5 days
2 separate 1000 gallon fermentation tanks used for rum and brandy, this fermentation lasts between 2-3 weeks
Zack used a great quote: “farts CO2 and pisses alcohol” – never heard that one before
Mueller pot still from Germany
53 gallons of mash pumped from fermenter into still – run times for the still: heads – 15 minutes, hearts – 1 – 1 1/2 hours yielding 4-5 gallons, tails – less than 15 minutes
Cold Spring water is hard water
various sized barrels used including 15, 25, 30 and 53-gallon barrels with some Spanish sherry butts
they started aging the bourbon and rye in 25 gallon barrels for one year
53 gallon barrels are from Kentucky and Minnesota
some 25 gallon barrels used to age rum come from Canada
in 2015, they produced 2,000 cases of spirits
the goal for 2016 is 3,000 cases
distribution currently in Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island

The tour itself was perfect and to have one of the main distillers explain everything made it even more special. Zack was extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions and give us some insight as to where they want to head as a company. Future collaborations with Lawson’s craft beer company really perked our ears.

We finished our tour with a tasting of 7 of their spirits. Here is what we tasted:

Vanilla Rum – infused with vanilla beans for 6-8 months, 40% ABV
First Run Rum – aged 4 months in lightly charred oak barrels, 48% ABV
Maple Rum – best seller, aged 6-8 months after syrup is made, 48% ABV
Corn Whiskey – 85% corn, 5% rye, 5% wheat, 2-3 months in a lightly toasted barrel, 48% ABV
Bourbon – mash bill: 70% corn, 10% wheat, 10% oat, 10% barley – aged for 1 year in a 25 gallon barrel, 48% ABV
Malvados – 100% Vermont mixed apples, Malvados means “wicked” in Portuguese, 50% ABV
Revolution Rye – 100% rye, 3 varieties – chocolate, cracked malt and toasted, 48% ABV
We also got to try a small sample of a single malt that they are doing with Lawson’s brewery and their Hopscotch, very tasty!

Overall it was a great tour and tasting. Wine Enthusiast just rated the Revolution Rye with 92 points and it definitely is a good rye to pick up, if you can find it. We were happy to be able to purchase a variety of their spirits.

Charles’ Notes: This visit worked out great. We didn’t really know much about Mad River Distillers other than what was on their website. You still can’t get their product in New York State. It turned out to be the highlight of the weekend. Zack was super friendly and helpful with our questions and it turned out to be a great time spent. It is always such a nice experience when you have unknown expectations and walk out with new appreciation of a craft. They are craft distillers that care about their product and put the love into it that is needed to get noticed and grow. I look forward to returning to Mad River Distillers in the future and trying some more of their single malt products.

Also, they are located near Waterbury, VT, which is a great place to stay. It almost feels like the craft beer mecca of the United States. Lawson’s and the Alchemist breweries are located here and produce phenomenal beers. We spent Saturday night in town and definitely recommend The Prohibition Pig for BBQ and the local taverns for some great draft pours. Cheers!

Jersey Spirits Distilling Co.

Visit #14, November 21, 2015

As I drove into the commercial, industrial park in Fairfield, NJ, a certain HBO theme song kept popping up in my mind. But I did not run into Tony Soprano as I turned the corner, fortunately. Rather, it was a progressive business that is changing the landscape of the spirits industry in New Jersey. Co-owned by John Granata, Sue Lord, and Betty MacDonald, Jersey Spirits Distilling Co. is a new operation created out of a true passion for craft distilling.

Jersey Spirits Distilling first opened its doors for tastings in mid-August, 2015. It is the youngest distilling operation that I have visited, but there is a knowledge-base that runs deep. John and Sue come from a food (restaurant) and science background. They visited many distilleries prior to starting their own and mentioned the High West Distillery in Utah as one of their favorite inspirations. After workshops and intense research, Jersey Spirits Distilling was started.

On the Saturday afternoon that I showed up for a tour they were having a group Infusion class. This is just one of the different programs and classes that the distillery offers. Also offered is a barrel share program which includes the ability for members to be involved in the process of distilling and aging a spirit. There are monthly tastings where barrel-share members can come back and sample the changes that take place as the spirit is aged. Not only that, you get to take home six bottles when it is aged to your liking. Other classes include mixology and an apprentice class on being a distiller.

I was able to participate in the tour that was included with the Infusion class. Here are some of my notes regarding their products and distilling process:

Boardwalk Rum uses Grade A molasses – sourced from LA or Caribbean
Water Filtration System, calcium is added
Fermentation for vodka takes between 3-8 days
Bourbon mash bill is 60% corn, 30% rye, and 10% malt
Rum fermentation takes between 2 to 3 weeks
There is a separate gin still
Ingredients such as honey (gin) and maple (bourbon) are sourced in New Jersey
Column still produces 150-200 bottles a week

After the tour I tasted three of their offerings: the Boardwalk Rum at 43% ABV, the Barnegat White Whiskey at 46% ABV and the Jersey Apple Hootch at 23% ABV.

Charles’ Notes: I wasn’t sure what to expect on my quick stop at Jersey Spirits Distilling Co. I knew that an Infusion class was starting at about the same of my arrival, but this worked out well since I could join their tour which was given by TJ, the assistanct distiller. Both John and Sue were gracious owners and spent time answering my questions. I do look forward to coming back to New Jersey to try out their bourbon once it has aged longer, hopefully in 2016. It had a great bar for tastings and a great vibe overall. There is also a brewery, Magnify Brewing Company, in the same complex so this could make for a nice double visit. I did not have time to visit them. Overall, it was a very nice visit and tour and I look forward to meeting them all again.

Berkshire Mountain Distillers

Visit #13, November 14, 2015

Just south of Great Barrington, Massachussets, lies the oldest town in the Berkshire Mountains called Sheffield. Settled in 1725, Sheffield is filled with working farms, antique shops, and a great craft distillery, Berkshire Mountain Distillers. Established in 2007 by Chris Weld, the distillery’s initial idea grew out of an abundance of apples at the Soda Springs Farm (dating back to the 1860s) and the granite-fed spring located on the property. In those eight years, the location of the distillery has moved to a new facility and has continued to evolve into new innovative spirits, including vodka, gin, rum, bourbon and corn whiskey.

Our tour was led by Michael Sharry, the farm manager at the distillery. Berkshire Mountain Distillers uses a ‘Grain to Glass’ mentality where most of their ingredients are sourced locally, with the exception of the blackstrap molasses used for their rum. Many of the gin botanicals are grown right outside of the production building in the greenhouse on the property. It is always great to see a craft distillery try and source everything right on site or nearby.

The main production room houses the mash tank, 5 fermentation tanks and the still. Here are some of the notes from our tour about their mash bill, fermentation and distillation process:

The mash composition of the corn whiskey is 90% corn.
The bourbon uses 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% barley.
They make a high ester-count rum with a “banana peeley” and “tropical fruit” nose.
Fermentation takes about one week to produce a 10-15% ABV wash.
The original 500 gallon still is from Louisville, KY and it dates back to 1967. Two pieces were added, a pot still used for the rum, whiskies and gin, and a column still producing a neutral spirit which is vodka-like.
The condensed vapor from the column still, at about 160 proof, is sent to the pot still with ingredients to steep for a day.
A shotgun condenser is used (cold pipes) for the distillation.
The rum and whiskey are triple-pot stilled.
5 cuts of heads and 3 cuts of tails.
Mash Tank

Fermentation Tanks

Still

The adjacent room is the bottling and barrel room. Here they use American Oak barrels for the aging of the bourbon. They add oak and cherry wood to their corn whiskey, which is added like tea for about 12 months. Bottling and labeling is done on site. There is a warehouse in Sheffield where barrels are stored and whiskey is aged.

The tour ended with a tasting of almost all of the different spirits produced by Berkshire Mountain Distillers, including the rum, gin, corn whiskey and bourbon. Outside in the gift shop we also tasted some of the cask-finished bourbons.

In 2013, Berkshire Mountain Distillers collaborated with 10 different craft brewers across the United States to use their barrels to add a different finish to their bourbon. Their cask-finished bourbon includes casks from Sam Adams, Founders, Full Sail, Terrapin, Brewery Ommegang, Big Sky, Hale’s Ales, Smuttynose, Troegs and Cigar City Brewing. At the distillery, many of these bourbons are available for tasting. Even more recently, they have started a new venture called the Craft Brewers Whiskey Project. This project is going to include using the actual beer from 15 different brewers, not just the barrels. One of the first releases from this new style will be in February, 2016, with the release of a Cinder Bock whiskey (a collaboration with Cinder Bock beers), branded as Shay’s Rebellion, and the release of a Sam Adams whiskey called Two Lantern. This will be incredible to try and we will definitely make a visit back to check these out.

Charles’ Notes: Berkshire Mountain Distillers has a great vibe. The tour itself was casual and open for questions and pictures. The use of both local and different ingredients with their variety of spirits is definitely noted. I love the fact that they have a greenhouse on site. They are taking chances with some of their whiskies, but isn’t this what the spirit of craft distilling is all about? There is a trend in the whiskey industry towards using different flavors or finishes and they have taken this on with a passion. Their rum has performed well and has been given a lot of respect in many different articles. It will be great to revisit them next year as they continue to evolve and produce. I purchased a cask-finished Brewery Ommegang bourbon and it is one of my favorites. Also, on a side note, there is a great craft brewery just down the street called Big Elm Brewery. Excellent beers and a great stop to include with a trip to Berkshire Mountain Distillers.

Cask-Finished Bourbon with Brewery Ommegang

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