Kings County Distillery is a distillery located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York City. It produces corn whiskey, bourbon whiskey, and rye whiskey, as well as other American craft whiskeys. It has been described as the oldest operating distillery in New York City.[1]
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Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Microdistillery |
| Founded | New York City, New York, 2009 |
| Founder | David Haskell Colin Spoelman |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York , United States |
Area served | New York City |
Number of employees | 20 |
| Website | http://www.kingscountydistillery.com |
History
editKings County Distillery was founded by Colin Spoelman and David Haskell in 2009, spurred by changes in New York State law regarding the licensing of microdistilleries.[2] It officially began production out of its 330 square feet (31 m2) warehouse[2] in April 2010[3] The name "Kings County" refers to the official county designation of Brooklyn.[1]
In 2012, the distillery moved into the Brooklyn Navy Yard and installed copper whiskey stills imported from Scotland.[4] The distillery focuses on American whiskeys, being named part of America's New Whiskey Rebellion by Whiskey Advocate,[5] with unusual whiskeys like a Peated Bourbon, American Single Malt, and a craft Bottled in bond bourbon. The distillery also makes Empire Rye, a project to establish a new standard of identity for New York-made rye with other craft distillers.
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In 2016, Kings County Distillery opened The Gatehouses, a tasting room in the historic Sands Street gate of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.[6]
In 2026, Kings County Distillery celebrated its millionth bottle of whiskey sold.[7]
Products
editKings County began by releasing an unaged corn whiskey, and later had a wider portfolio of whiskeys aged 2–7 years. Originally, due to small production, only 200 mL bottles were sold; as the business expanded, it began selling 375 mL bottles and 750 mL bottles by 2019.[8]
- Kings County Moonshine
- Kings County Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Kings County Peated Bourbon
- Kings County Single Malt Whiskey
- Kings County Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
- Kings County Empire Rye
- Kings County Chocolate Whiskey
Awards
editIn 2016, Kings County Distillery was named "Distillery of the Year" by the American Distilling Institute.[9]
References
edit
- 1 2 Holly Baxter (January 11, 2022). "Kings County Distillery: the oldest in New York, founded in 2010". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 7, 2026. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- 1 2 Reddy, Sumathi (June 25, 2010). "Brooklyn Whiskey Run". The Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Haskell, David; Spoelman, Colin (April 25, 2010). "New York City's First Distillery Since Prohibition". New York Magazine.
- ↑ McGeehan, Patrick (February 4, 2013). "Distillery's Small Batches May Soon Be Less Small". The New York Times.
- ↑ Beaumont, Stephen (December 2, 2016). "The New Whiskey Rebellion". Whisky Advocate.
- ↑ Crowley, Chris (May 6, 2016). "Kings County Distillery's Tasting Room Opens Tonight With Whiskey Pops, Manhattans, and More". Grub Street.
- ↑ Collins, Georgie (March 19, 2026). "Kings County celebrates one-millionth bottle sale". The Spirits Business.
- ↑ Tao, David Thomas (March 31, 2026). "Brooklyn's Kings County Distillery Reaches Million-Bottle Milestone". Forbes.
- ↑ Tishgart, Sierra (April 6, 2016). "Kings County Distillery Is Winning Major Awards". Grub Street.