What do you think of when you picture Brooklyn, New York in your mind? Do you think of diverse neighborhoods, amazing food and Coney Island? Maybe. But you might be surprised to know that there is a distillery with a rich history, creating inviting drams that should be on your radar during your next visit to the city. Husband and wife owners Alex Clark and Amy Grindeland set out to create premium liquors and that is exactly what they are doing. They bourbon, rye whiskey, vodka and gin, connecting the distillery's name to the historic Fort Hamilton Army Base, which was named after Alexander Hamilton.
First up, we tasted the Fort Hamilton Sinble Barrel Bourbon with an inviting mash bill of 85% Corn, 10% Rye and 5% Malted Barley, all locally sourced from New York state! We always have a soft spot for folks who source their grains locally, as it adds to the footpring of what that area of the world is doing in the whiskey world. This was barreled at 125 proof and aged for 4.5 years in a Char #3 53-gallon barrel. There are tons of distilleries doing something similar, but the high corn on this one really caught our attention!
Medium chestnut color in the glass with hints of gold on the rim, this kosher certified single barrel bourbon (batch #1, mind you) presents farm-fresh sweetness on the nose with candied pecans, vanilla, tanned leather and spice cabinet. This bottle was just released this spring and the mocha, vanilla, oak, hard candy and leather flavors are really blended wonderfully. Some people snub their nose at anything less than a 6-8 year age statement, and they are really missing some delicious bottles on the market, including this one. For a first batch single barrel bourbon, the team at Fort Hamilton has really set some nice ground work and we can't wait to see what else is in the pipeline!
ABV: 47.5% (95 proof)
Distillery: Fort Hamilton Distillery
Suggested retail price: $54.99
Drink The Bottles score: 92/100
For us, the star of the show between the single barrel bourbon and single barrel rye was this rye (batch #14) by a small margin. New York Rye is commonly known as America's original whiskey. This pre-prohibition drink is still wildly popular today no matter how you drink it - neat, rocks or in a cocktail. Like everything we taste, we enjoyed this neat and then again with one single cube and this one really opened our eyes! The Fort Hamilton Distillery Single Barrel Rye Whiskey is nothing short of splendid to us. Barreled at 120 proof and aged for 5 years in Car #3 thirty gallon barrels, each batch produces about 130 bottles. A little lighter in color to the single barrel bourbon, the golden-red rye is comprised of 90% Rye and 10% Malted Barley, again, locally sourced from New York.
European spices, vanilla, stone fruits and licorice initially on the nose with this very welcoming bottle. Some time in the glass and additional swirling threw hints of fresh cut hayfield and star anise. We couldn't wait to dig in and the flavors did not disappoint! Vanilla, cedar bark, damp earth, black pepper and whisps of soy sauce were really making us smile. A medium peppery finish was very welcome and not overpowering by any means. That later additiona of a single ice cube brought us flavors of brown sugar and cream pie with a kick! This is a delicious bottle!
Fort Hamilton Distillery was established in 2016 and frankly, when you find bottles like these, you really wish you lived in the area. We can only dream of walking out of our New York loft, taking a walk down the street and sitting up at a hight top table at the distillery to enjoy not only these, but the other beautiful intoxicants that they have to offer. We see a bright future for this distillery and we can't wait to see what they produce next!
ABV: 45.0% (90 proof)
Distillery: Fort Hamilton Distillery
Suggested retail price: $54.99
Drink The Bottles score: 94/100
