Edward III New York Absinthe

Bill Dowd photo

Tuthilltown Spirits of Orange County, NY, the state's first licensed distillery since Prohibition, has created a special bottling for a private customer, a first-timer in the distilling game.

• Edward III New York Absinthe

This truly unusual spirit is the final version of a recipe Tuthilltown tweaked and produced for Mark Maurice and Edward Jahn, according to distiller Ralph Erenzo. It may be made elsewhere after the current supply runs out, but that still is up for discussion.

It is the state's second absinthe. The first was created by Cheryl Lins, proprietor of Delaware Phoenix Distillery in Walton, NY, in the western Catskills.

This version of the French liqueur undergoes the traditional two infusions. The first uses a proprietary mixture of herbs and wormwood in a neutral grain spirit, and the second infusion uses melissa (a/k/a/ lemon balm) and more wormwood.

Rather than being green, the most common absinthe color which gave rise to the nickname "The Green Fairy," Edward III is clear. It turns milky when a bit of water is added, rendering it the most drinkable stage.

There is the expected anise in the nose and first taste, but that quickly is joined by hints of violet French pastille candies, camphor and even vague notes of bread, honey and orange. An altogether pleasant product.

Suggested retail price: About $39 for the 375ml bottle.

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Tuthilltown Spirits Portfolio

Bill Dowd photo

Tuthilltown Spirits, located in the lower Hudson Valley of New York, is the state's first licensed distillery since Prohibition. I had the opportunity to sample four of its Hudson brand spirits during a whiskey-pairing dinner at Marché restaurant in Albany, NY, co-hosted by Tuthilltown co-founder and distiller Ralph Erenzo. Note the 375ml bottle, a Tuthilltown exclusive and the only amount in which its spirits are sold.

• Hudson Corn Whiskey

This was Tuthilltown's first product, distilled from 100% New York corn. The expected aromas of popcorn and cooked sweet corn are immediate, but the pleasingly smooth middle range allows a slight sweetness to come through. Not at all the “moonshine” its name might connote. Powerful alcohol notes, typical of the genre. Warm, clean and a good introduction to the portfolio.

Retail price: About $29.

• Hudson Manhattan Rye

This is made from 100% New York rye, which provides a spicy nose and initial palate impact which quickly opens to mix of caramel and clover notes. There is a certain woodsy quality to the spirit after a few drops of water help it open, an altogether pleasing transformation. At once robust and clean on the palate.

Retail price: About $45.

• Hudson Baby Bourbon

This was Tuthilltown's first aged whiskey, distilled from a 100% corn mash and the first New York-made bourbon. As a bourbon-first person, I'm comfortable saying this holds its own against any better-known such expression: The requisite vanilla and caramel notes, a hint of oak in the middle notes, and a long, very smooth finish.

Retail price: About $55.

• Hudson Single Malt

If your taste in single malts runs toward the unpeated expressions, this is a good option. It is darker and richer than many Scotch whiskeys, a result of using 100% malted Canadian barley. Excellent as an after-dinner sip, tahnks to its dark caramel notes with hints of pear and cardamom.

Retail price: About $55.

Tuthilltown also makes several vodkas, a four-grain bourbon, a New York whiskey and a rye whiskey.

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