Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery, Valatie, NY
We had my husband's friend from grad school in from Ohio for Thanksgiving last week, and we really showed him a tour of the area. We took him to Bennington, Cooperstown, and down to the Poughkeepsie train station - all in a three day period. On our way down the the train station, we passed the Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery, and I was so excited to see where that was I actually did a U turn.
The Harvest Farm Distillery seems most famous in this area for making applejack. The applejack is very tasty, and for a dollar per taste you can try that or any of their other products: grappa, rare pear brandy, peach applejack (which we liked a lot more than we thought we would), or Core vodka. If you return your empty bottle from any of their products to them you receive a free shot glass. If you return two empty bottles, you receive a very cool looking brandy glass. If you return three empty bottles you get a surprise (I think you get nothing). Here's a look at inside their tasting room:
We bought some of the vodka, which you can tell I like by this picture:
I find the vodka to be really unique. It is made from apples, and I really think the flavor comes through in the finished product. I think that it would be totally delicious mixed with the Maplejack liqueur from Finger Lakes Distilling (check out my write up of our visit there on the From Scratch Club). I haven't actually had those two products in my house at the same time to give that theory a try, but I think they'd be a great match. I really like to support local businesses where I can, and I said as we were leaving "vodka has no taste anyway, so you might as well buy the local one and help out the local economy right?". Scott said "As long as it is properly distilled". Funny enough though, after I got home and tried the vodka some more I realized that it is actually very, very nice and not in the way that it lacks flavor (it is vodka after all), but in that it is really a crisp and refreshing product.
We had a great time visiting the distillery and would love to go back again. As a side note, you can also purchase doughnuts, maple syrup, apples, and other local varieties of produce in the adjoining farm store. Doughnuts and vodka you say? Yeah, go check it out!
The Harvest Farm Distillery seems most famous in this area for making applejack. The applejack is very tasty, and for a dollar per taste you can try that or any of their other products: grappa, rare pear brandy, peach applejack (which we liked a lot more than we thought we would), or Core vodka. If you return your empty bottle from any of their products to them you receive a free shot glass. If you return two empty bottles, you receive a very cool looking brandy glass. If you return three empty bottles you get a surprise (I think you get nothing). Here's a look at inside their tasting room:
We bought some of the vodka, which you can tell I like by this picture:
I find the vodka to be really unique. It is made from apples, and I really think the flavor comes through in the finished product. I think that it would be totally delicious mixed with the Maplejack liqueur from Finger Lakes Distilling (check out my write up of our visit there on the From Scratch Club). I haven't actually had those two products in my house at the same time to give that theory a try, but I think they'd be a great match. I really like to support local businesses where I can, and I said as we were leaving "vodka has no taste anyway, so you might as well buy the local one and help out the local economy right?". Scott said "As long as it is properly distilled". Funny enough though, after I got home and tried the vodka some more I realized that it is actually very, very nice and not in the way that it lacks flavor (it is vodka after all), but in that it is really a crisp and refreshing product.
We had a great time visiting the distillery and would love to go back again. As a side note, you can also purchase doughnuts, maple syrup, apples, and other local varieties of produce in the adjoining farm store. Doughnuts and vodka you say? Yeah, go check it out!
So glad you found this place. It's a regional treasure.
ReplyDeleteI am no lover of vodka, but the stuff they make is amazing. It shouldn't even be called vodka, as it's more like an apple brandy. It's more like an apple brandy than their apple brandy (which happens to be the one weak spot in their product line - nobody is perfect all the time).
It is a beautiful vodka, though you are right - barely vodka. Very, very nice though. Didn't you get the Rare Pear for your birthday? Tasty!
ReplyDeleteWas it my birthday? That's the problem of getting old.
ReplyDeleteThe rare pear is great. I'm a fan of the peach jack and the traditional applejack too. Their unaged pear brandy is also fantastic. I even like their grappa (which is really only notable because it's so much better than their first take on grappa - it still could use some work though).