Dutch’s Spirits

Dutch’s Spirits was first “organized” in 1932 at Harvest Homestead Farm in Pine Plains as an extensive bootlegging operation financed by the iconic mobster, Dutch Schultz. Eighty years later, Dutch’s Spirits is building a new distillery in the footprint of the original bunkhouse site, reviving the farmland, and restoring the bunkers for a rick house and museum that will help bring this rich history to light. The distillery foundations and 400-acre working farm are being revitalized as an agritourist destination and sustainable source of ingredients for premium hand-crafted spirits and cocktail bitters. The growing product line includes Dutch’s Spirits Sugar Wash Moonshine, Dutch’s Spirits Peach Brandy, three varieties of American Era Cocktail Bitters and Do-It-Yourself Bitters and Tonic making kits available exclusively through Williams Sonoma. The farm is also home to a series of interconnected tunnels and bunkers left over from its bootlegging days during Prohibition and those areas have been incorporated for adaptive re-use as a museum and barrel aging cavern. Through a Farm-to-Bottle approach, they are reclaiming Harvest Homestead’s rich soil to produce the corn and grains in the very place where they will be distilled and bottled. And as they plot their gardens and build new greenhouses, they will again look to the land to provide fresh produce for their upcoming farm kitchen and seasonal farm stand. You can tour the new farm-to glass production facility where rich fields of grain are carefully milled, fermented and distilled in copper stills to create spirits that reflect creative innovation and our natural partnership with the land. You can also stroll the gardens and greenhouses designed to provide chef, distiller and guests with the inspiration for unforgettable creations. HVADC has provided market access for Dutch’s Spirits and has assisted with regional product launches and awareness through our Hudson Valley Bounty program for several showcase events in Hudson Valley and New York City. HVADC provided assistance with the local planning process and site development for the new facility. You can visit their website at http://www.dutchsspirits.com/ to see more of what Dutch’s Spirits is about.