Word: erenzo
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Dates: during 2008-2008
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Like generations of farmers before them, Ralph Erenzo and Brian Lee keep a still at their Hudson Valley granary and use it to concoct a corn bourbon with a smooth creamy flavor and sweet grainy aroma that would make any moonshiner proud. But what Erenzo and Lee are making isn't the illegal stuff of mountain legend and bootlegger capers; instead it's high-class hooch that is totally legal and helping lead a renaissance of handcrafted artisanal American spirits...
...back on their feet, but hard liquor was considered more harmful and the prohibitively priced licenses for distilling spirits meant that only the large makers were able to meet the fees. "There's been this mentality of, beer and wine are good alcohols, and spirits are bad alcohol," says Erenzo. But over the past decade, as states have passed laws that lowered the cost of a license, an increasing number of small distillers have set up shop and begun to experiment...
That's a driving force for Erenzo and Lee's Tuthilltown Spirits too. "We see this as being about creating a high-end product and also as a new way of providing revenue for small farms," says Lee. "Our Heart of the Hudson vodka is made from local apples. Right now we are working with local producers who are growing an heirloom corn for us that hasn't been grown in the U.S. in 400 years. Using local produce saves us in shipping costs and keeps the money local. Our success is the success of the small farmer...
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