NY craft distilled spirits

Bill Dowd photo

New York's fledgling craft distilling movement is gaining momentum as well as expertise. At a recent seminar and tasting held in Saratoga Springs, I had the opportunity to try several flights of products.

UNAGED SPIRITS

• LiV Vodka: This spirit, utilizing the region’s signature potatoes, gets your attention immediately with its slightly citrusy nose, its pleasing oiliness and its hints of grapefruit and rose petals. I’d put LiV right into the top echelon of potato vodkas I’ve sampled in recent years. From Long Island Spirits.

• Harvest Spirits Core Vodka: This apple-based clear spirit is true to its origin with a vaguely apple note and a hint of spice. Smooth, warm and clean finishing. From Golden Harvest Farms in Columbia County.

• Hidden Marsh BEE Vodka: A honey-based spirit with a bit of a sting. Not that acrid sharpness lower-priced vodkas have, but a pleasant note on the tongue, and a warm, smooth finish. From the Montezuma Winery in Seneca Falls.

• Mazza Chautauqua Plum Eau de Vie: This is a delicate spirit, with floral notes and touches of cardamom and orange. An excellent product. From Mazza Chautauqua Cellars in Chautauqua County.

• Seneca Drums Gin: This is an extremely distinctive gin, with botanicals that provide the imbiber with clover, menthol and spice, all things that will hold up to a dry vermouth or a fruit juice when mixed into a cocktail. From Finger Lakes Distilling in Burdett.

• Tuthilltown Spirits New York Corn Whiskey: A delightfully robust and smooth product, not at all the “moonshine” its name might connote. Powerful alcohol notes, typical of the genre. From Tuthilltown Spirits in Orange County.

AGED SPIRITS

• Tuthilltown Spirits Manhattan Rye Whiskey: Spicy, floral, a great nose. At once robust and clean on the palate. An excellent addition to the category.

• McKenzie Rye Whiskey: A pronounced caramel and clove yin-and-yang that makes this rich spirit distinctive. From Finger Lakes Distilling.

• Harvest Spirits Cornelius Applejack: A nicely old-fashioned style to this recipe, which results in touches of apple, cloves, caramel and violet.

• Hidden Marsh Queen’s Flight Honey Brandy: A multi-level taste profile, with eucalyptus on top and warm honey notes below. An underlying smoothness to the overall taste.

• Warwick Valley Bourbon Barrel Apple Liqueur: This is a hard cider with aged apple brandy added, finished in once-used bourbon barrels. There is a buttery feel to it, with pronounced flavor of Jonagold apples. A gentle, refined spirit.

CORDIALS

• Mazza Chautauqua Grappa of Steuben: Steuben and vidal are the two most-used grappa base ingredients among New York distillers. This version is clean, slightly floral and has a honeyed finish.

• Long Island Spirits Sorbetta Lemon: Immediately reminiscent of French pastille candies in the aroma. A lovely lemon yellow color, fruit forward but with a distinct touch of butterscotch in the finish.

• Long Island Spirits Sorbetta Orange: Orange cake frosting comes immediately to mind. A touch cloying in the middle notes, but the citrus then comes to the rescue and the finish is clean and refreshing.

• Warwick Valley Sour Cherry Cordial: This is the way I like cherry pie to taste — a hint of cinnamon and cloves, a touch of the tartness of the New York Montmorency cherries, made with a brandy of cherries, grapes and apples. Superb.

Go back to Dowd On Drinks

American Fruits Sour Cherry Liqueur

Bill Dowd photo

The Warwick Vallery Winery & Distillery in Orange County, NY, was the state's first fruit micro-distillery in modern times. At the distillery, it is developing a line of American Fruits-brand ports, brandies and eau de vies.

• American Fruits Sour Cherry Liqueur

This clear ruby liqueur has non of the cloying thickness of so many of its ilk. It is a combination of fresh New York Montmorency cherries and their proprietary distilled spirit, a brandy of grapes, cherries and apples.

The first aroma of the finished product fairly screams "Cherry pie!" But, don't be fooled into thinking this is just another overwrought product.

Hints of clove and cinnamon mingle with the aroma of robust cherries, then the palate-clinging yet clean liquid hits the tongue with a complex warmth that trails off into a pleasing aftertaste of crisp fruit.

An excellent cordial, sold at 20% alcohol by volume (40 proof).

Suggested retail price: $14.99 for the 375ml bottle.

Go back to Dowd On Drinks

McKenzie Rye Whiskey

Bill Dowd photo

Put two unrelated guys together who share not only a surname but a love of spirits and the result is Finger Lakes Distilling, a craft distillery in the heart of New York's Finger Lakes wine country. The partners are Brian McKenzie and Earl McKenzie, and they produce a line of spirits that includes, rye, bourbon, gin, vodka and liqueurs.

• McKenzie Rye Whiskey

This golden amber rye, bottled at 45.5% alcohol by volume (91 proof), is on the market at a good time. Nationwide, the rye resurgence continues unabated in America.

The rye's color is an eye-catcher, as is the squat bottle reminiscent of what once was the standard bottle shape for this most American of spirits.

As a New York State Farm Distillery, Finger Lakes uses locally-grown grains. This non-chill-filtered spirit is made from a mash of rye, corn and barley malt. It is aged in new charred quarter-cask oak and given a finish in sherry barrels from local wineries.

Once inside, the attraction grows. This rye is immediately assertive on the palate, offering a bite of clove smoothed with notes of caramel and clover. Hints of orange peel, mint and cardamom come through, with a buttery finish.

This is an excellent example of the craft distiller's art, particularly interesting since it comes from a comparatively new enterprise.

Suggested retail price: $40 for the 750ml bottle.

Go to Dowd On Drinks

Domaine de la Mordorée Tavel

Bill Dowd photo

Sustainable agriculture is the emerging thing in the global wine industry. In the Rhone Valley of France, one of the oldest commercial terroirs in the world, Domaine de la Mordorée is one of the leading winemakers using such methods.

• Domaine de la Mordorée Tavel

It is refreshing to come across a rosé I can call something other than summery and light. Mordorée's Tavel is as hearty as any rosé you'll encounter.

This blend of traditional grape varieties from the region includes Grenache (60%), Syrah (20%), Cinsault (10%) and Clairette (10%). The result is a smooth, fruit forward wine with a restrained bouquet but palate notes of young strawberries and ripe raspberries along with floral hints.

I tested it against a bolder meal than you'd usually pair up with a rosé -- panko-crusted sauteed chicken breasts with a heavily-herbed sauce of fresh diced tomatoes, shallots, capers and jalapeños, sided by fresh spinach and pomme frites.

It not only held up, it aided the various items on the plate, the blend acting as a connecting flavor factor from the first sip to the last bite.

Suggested retail price: $24.99.

Go to Dowd On Drinks