TOUR: Yankee Distillers, Clifton Park [PHOTOS]

I love whiskey. I feel I need to get that out-of-the-way to start this. It’s my choice drink when I go out so it wasn’t going to be long before I checked out Yankee Distillers (5 Fairchild Square, Clifton Park).

I’ve already purchased their Rye Whiskey before but as I learned on Thursday, there was so much I didn’t know about what I’ve been drinking.

To start, I had a “Yankee Mule” at the bar before the tour, aka a Moscow Mule but with Yankee Distillers Bourbon Whiskey instead of vodka (+ freshly squeezed lime, homemade ginger beer & lime garnish) – $9. It was delicious. I’ve always heard about Moscow Mules and wanted to try it so I figured the best time to try it would be at the source of the alcohol in it, right? Note: even if you don’t fancy a drink with ginger beer, ask to taste their homemade ginger beer because it’s fantastic. I would buy that in a bottle.

The tour was incredibly informative! Scott took us through the two rooms “where the magic happens,” or what have you. You can tell by how he describes everything, just how much he loves what he does and how knowledgeable he is. The entire tour was full of such information, I couldn’t possibly repeat verbatim the entire process. Plus, his tour and explanations are more enjoyable than you reading it here anyway. What I liked best from the tour was learning that: the farmers their products come from? They know by name and visit quite often. The barrels the whiskey is stored in? They know the coopers. It’s incredible to see how hands-on this process is and it comes out in the care in the flavor of the whiskey.

During the tasting, we got to try the Rye Whiskey, Bourbon Whiskey and Eleven Lakes Vodka. I’m not a professional whiskey taster so I’m not going to pretend I am. All I have to say is that I’m not usually a fan of vodka but their vodka goes down so smooth that no matter what you drink, you’re gonna like it. Aside from that, their whiskey is delicious but you’re gonna have to go talk to Scott to get the full experience because I’m not even close to giving it any justice. Have a drink, hang out, learn a little about what you put in your glass and drink local!