Coppersea Distillery Hudson Valley Straight Rye Malt Whisky

Established in 2011, Coppersea Distilling is located in West Park, on a 70 acre farm in New York’s Hudson Valley. Coppersea is a craft distillery producing ultra-premium whiskies and eaux-de-vie in a sustainable way, including the use of on-site well water and locally sourced grains and fruits, mashing in American made wood fermentation tanks, and distilling in direct-fired alembic copper pot stills. Angus MacDonald, co-founder and master distiller is joined by Christopher Williams, distillery manager and Michael Kinstlick, CEO.

Coppersea is one of only four distilleries in the United States with its own floor malting space. Here the staff spreads a layer of fresh, moistened grain across the floor and allows it to sprout for about five days, a process that converts the starches to sugars and enzymes needed to feed the yeast. Fermentation is carried out in two 500-gallon mash tubs, one holding corn mash, the other rye mash, after which the mash travels down to the stills via gravity. Distillation occurs in hand-hammered alembic copper stills that sit inside a custom built still oven.