{"id":17481,"date":"2015-08-06T20:55:59","date_gmt":"2015-08-07T00:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2015\/08\/yankee-distillers-opens-in-clifton-park-will-be-making-bourbon-rye-and-later-vodka.html"},"modified":"2015-08-06T20:55:59","modified_gmt":"2015-08-07T00:55:59","slug":"yankee-distillers-opens-in-clifton-park-will-be-making-bourbon-rye-and-later-vodka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2015\/08\/yankee-distillers-opens-in-clifton-park-will-be-making-bourbon-rye-and-later-vodka\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankee Distillers Opens In Clifton Park, Will Be Making Bourbon, Rye And Later Vodka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\"yankee\n<\/div>\n
These bottles of Rye Whiskey are some of the products being made at Yankee Distillers in Clifton Park, a 9,000-square-feet facility recently opened in Clifton Park.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

BY JILL NAGY<\/p>\n

Yankee Distillers in Clifton Park, a new
\nestablishment featuring whiskey made on the
\npremises, got off to an auspicious beginning
\nwith a well-attended ribbon-cutting in late July.<\/p>\n

The three owners–Matthew Jager, Walter
\nKleemeier, and Scott Luning–got their start
\nat an Albany distillery and, in fact, “we brought
\na whole lot of whiskey with us” and will serve
\nthat while their first Clifton Park product ages.<\/p>\n

Licensed as a New York state farm distillery,
\nYankee Distillers, at 5 Fairchild Square, across
\nfrom the Schmaltz Brewery, will get most of its
\nraw materials from New York state farms, the
\nowners said.<\/p>\n

“We’re proud to make Saratoga County the
\nhome of what we believe to be the start of the
\nnext great chapter in producing the very finest,
\nmost sought-after American whiskeys,” said
\nKleemeier at a recent business grand opening.<\/p>\n

“Since New York allowed for farm-based
\ndistilleries such as Yankee to open in the past
\ndecade, craft spirits and their producers have
\nbecome destinations to attract spirits enthusiasts
\nand tourists to areas across the Empire
\nState. We’re proud to have the support of local
\nand state leaders and look forward to producing
\nspirits proudly made from local grain.”<\/p>\n

At nearly 9,000 square feet, the owners say
\nYankee Distillers is the largest distilling facility
\nin the greater Capital Region. The facility, part
\nof the Fairchild Square Business Park, is made up of the distilling room, a tasting room and
\nretail outlet.
\nAll the co-founders hold degrees in physics.<\/p>\n

Kleemeier and Luning have worked in the
\nnanotechnology sector, while Jager co-founded
\nthe Albany Distilling Co.<\/p>\n

Initially, Yankee Distillers will prepare bourbon
\nand rye. A little later, they will add vodka.
\nThey also plan to make rum, but that comes
\nunder a different license. Not much sugar cane,
\na key ingredient, is grown in New York state.<\/p>\n

The bourbon will be made from New York
\nstate corn and a small amount of rye; the rye
\nwhiskey, from rye and a small amount of wheat.
\nThey buy those raw materials by the ton, grind
\nit into meal (a little coarser than flour), cook
\nit, add malt and then let it ferment with yeast
\nfor three or four days.
\nThen, it is distilled and collected in barrels.<\/p>\n

That process takes about a week, after which
\nthe distillate ages in the barrel for at least a year
\nbefore being bottled, said the owners.
\nRum takes a little less time, about a month
\nfor white rum, a little longer for the older, darker
\nrums that will be aged in used whiskey barrels.<\/p>\n

Jager expects to have white rum available in
\nabout a month and the amber variety in time
\nfor the year-end holidays. He calls the product
\n“colonial rum” and claims to use methods similar
\nto those of the colonial period. The rum does not
\ncome under the farm distillery license and will
\nnot be sold at Yankee Distillers. It will only be sold wholesale, off the premises.<\/p>\n

He said the vodka will be a grain product
\nmade from Finger Lakes wheat. The first of that
\nshould be available in the fall.<\/p>\n

In addition to requiring the use of state
\ningredients, the farm distillery license restricts
\nwhat can be served. It requires food be available,
\nJager noted, but does not allow it to be prepared
\non the premises.
\nThere will be snacks, including cold meats
\nand cheese from Cheese Traveler in Albany.
\n“Not a meal, just a little something to pick on,”
\nJager said. Later, they might invite a food truck
\nor two to park out front.<\/p>\n

Because the distillery is located across from
\nthe Schmaltz Brewery, Jager envisions one day
\nsharing the food service with that establishment.
\nDespite the restrictions, Jager said he and his
\npartners are “quite happy with what the license
\nallows us to do.”<\/p>\n

Yankee Distillers will provide “a real nice tour
\nlasting about half an hour and ending with a
\nreally elaborate tasting,”Jager said.<\/p>\n

The website is YankeeDistillers.com and the
\ntelephone number is 406-3245.<\/p>\n

Photo Courtesy Yankee Distillery<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These bottles of Rye Whiskey are some of the products being made at Yankee Distillers in Clifton Park, a 9,000-square-feet facility recently opened in Clifton Park.BY JILL NAGY Yankee Distillers in Clifton Park, a new establishment featuring whiskey made…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[61,98,110],"class_list":["post-17481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-businesses","tag-clifton-park","tag-new-businesses","tag-restaurants"],"yoast_head":"\r\nYankee Distillers Opens In Clifton Park, Will Be Making Bourbon, Rye And Later Vodka - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2015\/08\/yankee-distillers-opens-in-clifton-park-will-be-making-bourbon-rye-and-later-vodka\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yankee Distillers Opens In Clifton Park, Will Be Making Bourbon, Rye And Later Vodka - 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