“These smaller products are necessarily more expensive, and they may lack some refinement. But people get that they’re all handmade, local, often organic. That’s the tradeoff. They can show some rough edges and be more appealing for it.”
—Chris Gerling, Extension Associate in Food Science, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, N.Y., in Dec. 21 story in the New York Times about the growing popularity of Northeast microdistilleries, Just Don’t Call It Moonshine.
Also featured in the article is Derek Grout, a Cornell graduate who runs Harvest Spirits distillery in Valatie, N.Y. “This is my way to maximize my family’s agricultural heritage. From the farmer’s perspective, the only way to increase the value of an apple is to make it into spirit and put that in oak.”