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By Dave Cameron

Finger Lakes Distilling

THERE'S SOMETHING NEWTO SIP ON SENECA

ffi

Brian McKenzie, left, and Thomas lYcKenzre, nght, Co-founders of Finger Lakes
Distilling

his past December nvo large wooden crates arrived in batch of spirits they make. His intuition for distiliing comes from
Burdett, hauied by a tractor-trailer up a steep slope to experience and good generics'

a new barn-like building surrounded by century-old
grapevines. Inside the crates wer€ over 4,000 pounds of hammered
copper and stainless steel that would become the workhorse of
Brian McKenzie's idea for a true distillery in the Finger Lakes'
Brian, owner and co-founder of Finger Lakes Distilling' is
proud to show offthe gleaming 20-foot-tall pot still and its
portholed tower that came in those crates' Framed in a corne r
by floor-to-ceiling windows on the production floor overlookinq
Seneca Lake, his still stands on display for those driving br- on
the road below.
Thomas McKenzie (no relation to Brian), the business's crafts-
man distiller, is from Alabama with a charming Southern drart'-
Part chef, part engineer, he's in charge ofproduction for ever''
"The distilling gene in my family skips a generation"'Thomas says'
"My daddy didn't do it but his granddaddy did, and his daddy
didn't do itbrr his granddaddy did."
"He
The trvo met at a distillers' conference in Louisville, Kentucky'
rl'as standing there at a tasting with his overalls on," says Brian'
"-We
started talking a little bit and found out we were both McKenzies'
\\ e came from very diflerent backgrounds, but got along great.''
\\-hen a distillery project with the \Tisconsin brewery Thomas
,.,, trrke d lbr fell through, he decided to team up with Brian
::,:;ad. and moved his family to the Finger Lakes "\7e had
:..:::l interests, but different skill sets that would work weil
r.:rir." Brian, "so we decided to pursue it "
says

www.ediblefingerlakes.com 15
 The first spirit from the still was a batch
of Vintner's Vodka, made from wine
they produced themselves but their main
focus has been on making whiskeys.
-Vith grains they've malted in a kiln built
next to the distillery, there are batches of
rye whiskey and bourbon aging in barrels
from Kentucky. Down the line Thomas
plans to offer a Scotch-style whiskey with
a distinctive smoked peat character using
pear from a bog near Binghamton.

Also on the list of spirits he's produc-

ing is one he is especially fond of: corn
whiskey. A refined version of the moon-
shine his Alabama ancesrors once made,
it starts by making a soup of ground
grains called the mash bill, typically a
mix of corn, rye or wheat, and malted
barley. Though the grain most dominant
in the mash varies by product, by law
bourbon must be at leasr 5I perce nt
corn. rye whiskey ar least 5l percent
rye grain and corn whiskey at least 80
pefcenr corn.

Thomas prefers using organic ingre-

dients as much as possible, insisting it
makes a better tasting product. "Or-
ganic corn just ferments better," he
says, though he can't tell exactly why. "I
think the yeast like it more."
Yeast is the key to fermentation, feeding
on sugar released in the mash to pro-
duce alcohol. The fermented mash-or
wine, in the case ofvodka and brandy-
is pumped into the wide base of the
still and heated, releasing its alcohol as
vapor. 'Ihe still captures the vapor and
condenses it back into a liquid. Like re-
ducing sauce in a pan, the characteristics
ofthe mash ingredients are concentrated
into pure rasre and smel1.

"It's simple," Thomas laughs, "but you've

got to know how to make the mash,
you've got to know how to run this,"
he gestures to the still, "and it's a lot of

I6 edible FINGER LAKES SPRINC 09

 ti
'fj. "-,'
f.
ce,
:'?
€
f,l
t,
paving attention." He stands watch over a stream of clear pure
corn whiskey pouring out of the still ensuring that only the
best portion-the "heart"-is captured. He dips a clean empty
quart jar into the stream, swirling the liquid, noting the ciarity,
ihe shapes of bubbles, and inhaling the aroma.
"\bu never taste it while you're running the still. It numbs the
senses down," he explains. "I like to use a fruit jar so you can
qer vour nose in there, you know? When you smell it, you can
smell the corn, and that's what you're looking for." He passes
around a jar of the fresh corn whisky watered down to a sample
proofof40 percent alcohol. It has the aroma ofpopcorn and
a sip tastes slightly sour but smooth, like fresh griddlecakes.
Thomas gives a satisfied nod. "I think that turned out alright."
In addition to using organic products, Finger Lakes Distilling
also sources most of their ingredients from local growers. Bv
law, a minim:urr, of 75 percent of the ingredients in all their
products come from New York State, and that's something
Brian embraces.
"\fe've got everything we need for our raw material right
within a hundred miies," he says. "Excellent grain, all kinds of
1*.*.
fruit." He gestures to the production floor around him where
50-pound sacks, cardboard crates and plastic drums are fiiled
with the grains, fruits and wine from local producers. "The
only thing we're not going to be able to do is a rum or tequila,
although," Brian laughs, "Thomas seems to think he can plant
some sugar cane and make it grow around here."
The New York Farm Distillery Act made it legal for them to
offer tastings and sales ofproducts on site, and they've built
a sampling room and retail space overlooking the lake. Those
large crates that carried the still from Germany found a second
life in the room; Brian and Thomas used the timber to build a
large wooden bar for people to gather and learn about spirits.
"There are some things we could do that probably make more
economic sense but we think in the long term, if we get a
reputation for really doing things the right way, it's going to
benefit us."
Thomas is a bit more succinct: "I hope they'll like it and buy it." I
;',t,',on liues attd writes in Ithaca. He produces a /ata! -t'bads
padca:t nt u,wtu.
www.ediblefi n gerlake s. c.. nr T7
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