A new whiskey distillery and tasting room has opened its doors to the public in the Madison County town of Lebanon.
Old Home Distillers, owned and operated by longtime area residents Gerald and Marlene Carvell, in partnership with their two adult sons Aaron and Adam, is now open for tours, tastings and sales on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The distillery is located at 964 Campbell Road in Lebanon.
Operating out of a renovated century-old stable and tack room, Old Home Distillers is the first legally operating whiskey distillery in Madison County since the repeal of Prohibition. The family’s first products are an unaged corn whiskey made from 100 percent locally grown cracked corn and a clear applejack made entirely from hand-pressed apples grown on the distillery’s farm property.
The family will eventually offer a wide selection of spirits and liqueurs created in accordance with the New York Craft Act, which allows craft beverage producers using locally-grown ingredients to operate on a small scale with minimal state regulatory costs, according to a company statement.
“We’ve always been interested in hospitality and craft beverage, but New York state’s ongoing support for the Craft Act tipped the scales and convinced us to go into distilling,” said marketing director Aaron Carvell. “We’re truly thankful for the opportunity to thrive in this industry as a family-owned and operated enterprise.”
“There’s far more to the distillery business than we imagined and there’s definitely a learning curve at play, especially with some of the more scientific aspects,” said Gerald. “That said, the boys have been hard at work in the stillhouse and making some terrific spirits. We’ve been really pleased with the quality of product produced and the community’s reaction to it.”
2016 will bring a period of substantial growth and new product development at Old Home Distillers, according to a company statement. The current offering of unaged corn whiskey and applejack will be expanded throughout the year, with plans to roll out gin, single malt whiskey, bourbon and a line of flavored corn whiskeys.
For more information, visit oldhomedistillers.com or call 837-4123.
