Situated along the banks of the East River in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Kings County Distillery is New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery and the first distillery in New York City since Prohibition. There, the distillery's founders Colin Spoelman and David Haskell hand-craft moonshine and chocolate whiskey. A typewriter that Spoelman and Haskell found on a sidewalk in Williamsburg is used to make the labels that adorn their clear, flask-shaped bottles, while a hairdryer (made by Revlon) is used to afix each bottle seal. Handwritten scrawls on a chalkboard keep track of different batches, and mesh laundry bags are used as strainers. Kings County Chocolate Whiskey is made by steeping Kings County Moonshine in artisan cacao husks sourced from the Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory in Brooklyn. The chocolate and moonshine rest together for just over a month, giving the moonshine a deep mahogany color and an aroma of dark chocolate. "It's good for someone who either likes whiskey or chocolate which includes most people, I guess," says Spoelman. "There's not a whole lot else like it out there." The initial flavors of sweet corn are nicely balanced by the subtle notes of rich, bitter chocolate and give way to a smooth and slightly sweet finish. "We make enough to supply some of Brooklyn, some of Manhattan and that's about it," Spoelman says. After visiting their distillery, we bamboozled them into sharing some of their juice with the rest of the country. 

Situated along the banks of the East River, Kings County Distillery is New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery and the first distillery in New York City since Prohibition. Wedged between Williamsburg and Vinegar Hill, Colin Spoelman and David Haskell, the master distillers at Kings County, make hand-crafted bourbon and moonshine out of the 113-year old Paymaster Building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. A typewriter the two distillers found on the sidewalk in Williamsburg is used to make the labels that adorn their clear, flask-like bottles, while a hairdryer (made by Revlon) is used to afix each bottle seal. Handwritten scrawls on a chalkboard keep track of different batches, and mesh laundry bags are used as strainers. Before white whiskey, there was moonshine, otherwise known as whiskey before it is aged in a barrelthough the word can also mean any illegally-made spirit. Kings County Distillery's Moonshine is a corn whiskey made from 80% New York State organic corn and 20% malted barley. It is double distilled and reduced to a smooth, drinkable 80 proof. Bright with a sweet slap of corn, this is a very respectable take on a classic American whiskey.

Kings County Distillery is a highly acclaimed craft distillery in New York City, known for producing award-winning whiskeys such as Bourbon, Peated Bourbon, and Empire Rye. They use only their own whiskey and never sell whiskey from other sources, with all production done onsite in Brooklyn. Their whiskeys have received recognition from various organizations and publications and are made using a blend of distilling practices from different cultures. Starting as the smallest commercial distillery in the US, Kings County is now located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and named the American Distilling Institute's Distillery of the Year in 2016.

Grapefruit & Jalapeno Flavored whiskey starts as our signature moonshine, which is then infused with grapefruit peels and whole & crushed jalapeño peppers, designed to strike balance between citrus, bitterness, and heat. A good substitute for spiced spirits in margaritas or however tequila may be enjoyed.

Kings County Distillery Straight Bourbon is a bourbon made like a scotch whiskey. We use 80% New York organic corn and 20% English Golden Promise barley for a high-malt recipe that forgoes the wheat or rye typical of Kentucky bourbons. This mash is then double pot distilled for a rich and flavorful white spirit. After aging in a variety of new charred oak barrels for anywhere between 3 and 6 years, our bourbon is carefully blended to ensure quality and complexity. With prominent notes of caramel and vanilla, as well as undertones of dark berries, this bottle is cited frequently in lists of best craft bourbons.

Tasting Notes 

Aroma: hints of maraschino cherries, vanilla beans, freshly brewed coffee, and toffee.

Taste: flavors of raisins, maple syrup, spicy cinnamon, and brown sugar.

Finish: A touch of cinnamon sugar and caramel.

Kings County Distillery is a highly acclaimed craft distillery in New York City, known for producing award-winning whiskeys such as Bourbon, Peated Bourbon, and Empire Rye. They use only their own whiskey and never sell whiskey from other sources, with all production done onsite in Brooklyn. Their whiskeys have received recognition from various organizations and publications and are made using a blend of distilling practices from different cultures. Starting as the smallest commercial distillery in the US, Kings County is now located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and named the American Distilling Institute's Distillery of the Year in 2016.

Before “white whiskey,” there was moonshine, otherwise known as whiskey before it is aged in a barrel—though the word can also mean any illegally-made spirit. Ours is a corn whiskey made from 80% New York State organic corn and 20% malted barley. It is double distilled and reduced to a smooth, drinkable 80 proof. Bright with a sweet slap of corn, this is our take on a classic American whiskey. We began making whiskey on the premise that unaged whiskey, like other unaged, full-flavored spirits from around the world like silver tequila, white rum, or grappa, can be delicious even before it hits the barrel. This whiskey best expresses our ambitions as distillers and can be considered the starting point for many of our more conventional whiskeys. 

Kings County Distillery Straight Bourbon is a bourbon made like a scotch whiskey. We use 80% New York organic corn and 20% English Golden Promise barley for a high-malt recipe that forgoes the wheat or rye typical of Kentucky bourbons. This mash is then double pot distilled for a rich and flavorful white spirit. After aging in a variety of new charred oak barrels for anywhere between 3 and 6 years, our bourbon is carefully blended to ensure quality and complexity. With prominent notes of caramel and vanilla, as well as undertones of dark berries, this bottle is cited frequently in lists of best craft bourbons.

Tasting Notes 

Aroma: hints of maraschino cherries, vanilla beans, freshly brewed coffee, and toffee.

Taste: flavors of raisins, maple syrup, spicy cinnamon, and brown sugar.

Finish: A touch of cinnamon sugar and caramel.

Situated along the banks of the East River, Kings County Distillery is New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery and the first distillery in New York City since Prohibition. Wedged between Williamsburg and Vinegar Hill, Colin Spoelman and David Haskell, the master distillers at Kings County, make hand-crafted bourbon, moonshine, and now single malt whiskey out of the 117-year old Paymaster Building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. A typewriter the two distillers found on the sidewalk in Williamsburg is used to make the labels that adorn their clear, flask-like bottles, while a hairdryer (made by Revlon) is used to affix each bottle seal. Handwritten scrawls on a chalkboard keep track of different batches, and mesh laundry bags are used as strainers. Kings County Single Malt Whiskey is just like a single malt Scotch except it's made in Brooklyn! The barley is sourced from England and Scotland before being malted with a touch of peat, and open-fermented. Following fermentation Kings County uses traditional Scottish pot stills to double distill the whiskey, which is then aged in their own used bourbon barrels, maturing anywhere from one and a half to four years. Kings County Single Malt Whiskey has an aroma of hay and peat, all the while carried by a palate of honey that leads to a finish of burnt orange peel. Kings County Single Malt Whiskey won the Gold Medal at the American Craft Spirit Awards in 2016, and Kings County Distillery was named ADI's Distillery of the Year in 2016 as well!

Situated along the banks of the East River in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Kings County Distillery is New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery and the first distillery in New York City since Prohibition. There, the distillery's founders Colin Spoelman and David Haskell hand-craft moonshine and chocolate whiskey. A typewriter that Spoelman and Haskell found on a sidewalk in Williamsburg is used to make the labels that adorn their clear, flask-shaped bottles, while a hairdryer (made by Revlon) is used to afix each bottle seal. Handwritten scrawls on a chalkboard keep track of different batches, and mesh laundry bags are used as strainers. Kings County Chocolate Whiskey is made by steeping Kings County Moonshine in artisan cacao husks sourced from the Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory in Brooklyn. The chocolate and moonshine rest together for just over a month, giving the moonshine a deep mahogany color and an aroma of dark chocolate. "It's good for someone who either likes whiskey or chocolate which includes most people, I guess," says Spoelman. "There's not a whole lot else like it out there." The initial flavors of sweet corn are nicely balanced by the subtle notes of rich, bitter chocolate and give way to a smooth and slightly sweet finish. "We make enough to supply some of Brooklyn, some of Manhattan and that's about it," Spoelman says. After visiting their distillery, we bamboozled them into sharing some of their juice with the rest of the country. 

Situated along the banks of the East River, Kings County Distillery is New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery and the first distillery in New York City since Prohibition. Wedged between Williamsburg and Vinegar Hill, Colin Spoelman and David Haskell, the master distillers at Kings County, make hand-crafted bourbon and moonshine out of the 113-year old Paymaster Building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. A typewriter the two distillers found on the sidewalk in Williamsburg is used to make the labels that adorn their clear, flask-like bottles, while a hairdryer (made by Revlon) is used to affix each bottle seal. Handwritten scrawls on a chalkboard keep track of different batches, and mesh laundry bags are used as strainers. After milling and mashing the grains, the wash is slowly fermented at their distillery in blue tanks that resemble oil drums and then double-pot distilled. Haskell and Spoelman use the first alcohol produced from each batch the "head" as a disinfectant and sell the used mash to a pig farmer who uses it as feed. "I still don't understand why it doesn't make the pigs drunk," Haskell says. What is Peated Bourbon It's bourbon whiskey that conforms to the American requirements for bourbon but it incorporates malted barley that has been smoked with peat, a tradition common to some Scotch whiskeys. Made from 75% organic New York State corn, and 25% Scottish peated malt. Peated bourbon will definitely appeal to the adventurous whiskey traveler who has had a whiskey or two in their life. Aged for two summers (14 to 24 months) in a five-gallon charred, new oak barrels, Kings County Peated Bourbon Whiskey has an aroma of bonfire and juicy corn, which leads to notes of buttered toast, raisins and caramel on the palate. The finish is slightly smoky with hints of biscuits and more sweet corn. Now available in full 750 ml bottles.

Situated along the banks of the East River, Kings County Distillery is New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery and the first distillery in New York City since Prohibition. Wedged between Williamsburg and Vinegar Hill, Colin Spoelman and David Haskell, the master distillers at Kings County, make hand-crafted bourbon, moonshine, and now single malt whiskey out of the 117-year old Paymaster Building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. A typewriter the two distillers found on the sidewalk in Williamsburg is used to make the labels that adorn their clear, flask-like bottles, while a hairdryer (made by Revlon) is used to affix each bottle seal. Handwritten scrawls on a chalkboard keep track of different batches, and mesh laundry bags are used as strainers. Kings County is among the very first craft distillers to release a style of whiskey that can be considered the highest class of American Whiskey. Bottled-in-Bond is a designation that refers to American whiskeys (and some brandies) that are distilled, aged, and bottled entirely at one distillery, from barrels filled in one season, by one distiller. Furthermore, the whiskey must be four years old and bottled at precisely 100 proof. This impressive Bottled-In-Bond whisky earned Double Gold, Best-In-Category at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as Best American Whisky, Best Bourbon, Best Small Batch Bourbon, Best Bourbon 4 Years at the 2017 International Whisky Competition.

Situated along the banks of the East River, Kings County Distillery is New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery and the first distillery in New York City since Prohibition. Wedged between Williamsburg and Vinegar Hill, Colin Spoelman and David Haskell, the master distillers at Kings County, make hand-crafted bourbon and moonshine out of the 113-year old Paymaster Building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. A typewriter the two distillers found on the sidewalk in Williamsburg is used to make the labels that adorn their clear, flask-like bottles, while a hairdryer (made by Revlon) is used to affix each bottle seal. Handwritten scrawls on a chalkboard keep track of different batches, and mesh laundry bags are used as strainers. Haskell and Spoelman use the first alcohol produced from each batch the "head" as a disinfectant and sell the used mash to a pig farmer who uses it as feed. "I still don't understand why it doesn't make the pigs drunk," Haskell says. Kings County Bourbon is made from a mash bill of New York State-grown corn and malted English barley. Twice distilled on Scottish copper pot stills it's then aged for at least two years in new oak barrels. Smooth, spicy, and complex, this bourbon is a precocious whiskey, surprisingly robust for its age with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and vanilla. Awarded three stars by the New York Times, and a double gold medal from the SF World Spirits Competition in 2019. Kings County currently produces about 150 gallons of bourbon a month. "We make enough to supply some of Brooklyn, some of Manhattan and that's about it," Spoelman says. After visiting their distillery, we bamboozled them into sharing some of their juice with the rest of the country. The bottles are filled, labeled and sealed by hand.