Most bourbon drinkers are familiar with Hudson Baby Bourbon–especially those living in NYC. Between it’s drinkability and local-ness to New York, this tasty bourbon created by Tuthilltown Distillery can be found in many restaurants and bars in New York City. It’s a familiar name and popular choice. What’s less known about Hudson Baby Bourbon is that the distillery where it’s made, Tuthilltown Distillery, also cooks up gin, vodka, multiple bourbons and other fine spirits–all of which you can try on a boozy afternoon at their distillery. Located just 90 miles north of NYC, the distillery, tasting room and restaurant here are well within reach of a daytrip. We recently visited them, and think you should too.
Our afternoon began with lunch at Tuthill House at the Mill, a restaurant housed in a beautiful and historic landmark mill. For 220 years, the mill used waterpower to grind local grains into flour. It’s since retired, now serving as a picturesque setting for diners. The food, which is excellent, changes seasonally and locally-sourced whenever possible. And the cocktails couldn’t possibly get more “local,” using liquors that were produced just steps away in the distillery. We’ve been for both lunch and dinner here, and always lean toward ordering many small items to snack on with friends. (Note: the flatbreads are great for that!) And with the dining room and multiple patios overlooking a waterfall and creek, you couldn’t ask for a more magical setting to dine.
But all food and magical setting aside, we came here for the bourbon. After a quick meal, we headed to our tour of the distillery and the property grounds. The tour began on the porch of the tasting room, where our guide Lyon gave us a quick rundown of Tuthilltown’s history–it’s New York’s first whiskey distillery since prohibition–and so on. Tours are $15 and include a flight of five tastings (or $12 with no tastings if you’re the DD.) We made our way through the distillery, the bottling and packaging facility, popping into a couple other buildings where new projects are happening. We also met production manager Jack, who got into the nitty gritty about how the liquors are created. After the tour, we did our tasting, picking five liquors that piqued our interest: Half Moon Orchard Gin, Indigenous Apple Vodka, Hudson Maple Cask Rye Whiskey, Hudson New York Corn Whiskey and the Tuthilltown Cacao Liqueur. We left the tasting impressed, tipsy, and with a bottle of the famous Hudson Baby Bourbon for home.
Tuthilltown Distillery isn’t the only great part of this area, so if you’re headed up for the day, make sure to visit some of the other gems in the area. Whitecliff Vineyard is just down the road, with great wine and an incredible overlook of the Shawangunk Mountains. You can also extend your daytrip by stopping at one of the many apple-picking farms near Tuthilltown, including Dressel Farms, Wright Farms (one of our favorites!), and Jenkins-and-Leuken Orchards. Cheers!
