This distillery at Golden Harvest Farms is a nice little add-on. The people who work there are super friendly--smiling, willing to answer any questions, and genuinely seem to enjoy being there. One of the standout features was definitely the barrels. The quirky, funny artwork on them added a lot of character. I tried a flight of their spirits (three total: the bourbon, single malt, and small-batch applejack--about a shot of each), and my wife had a cocktail. Each of the whiskies was decent but very light. The bourbon was a bit smoother than the single malt. The applejack was okay, but not something I'd typically go for. We also tried their homemade hard cider. I'm not usually a cider drinker, and this one wasn't especially memorable--it was sharp and a bit dry, but lacked the sweetness I've enjoyed in other ciders. read more

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Excellent little place in a barn setting. Bourbons were very good. They also have ciders and vinegars. And vanilla extracts. Staff was very knowledgeable and nice. I bought the Distillers Reserve delicious and smooth. read more

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Try everything seemed to be the recommendation. The vinegar selection is help yourself but they are standing by to pour a taste of their spirited line up. They have a craft cocktail menu to serve up a variety of drinks that highlight the different spirits distilled onsite. Cask art lines the walls up high on display and they have a line up bottled alcohol ready to take home. Fruit flavored Brandy, Gin, Vodka, Single Mt Whiskey and Bourbon are among the varieties available. We really enjoyed out drinks and there was barbecue available nearby on the property. I highly recommend stopping by for a drink and a bottle or two to take home. The vinegar is highly recommended too, don't miss out! read more

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Friendly, family oriented business! Great local brews as well as home distilled liquor and mixed drinks as well as food truck read more

Harvest Spirits - Live music - Distilleries Near Me - Valatie, New York

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We came here on a Tuesday around 3:00pm. The distillery was calm and quiet. Our server was nice and helped with our tastings and cocktails. We had two tastings and two cocktails (Kinderhooker-fabulous and Pink lady-good but kinderhooker was my personal favorite). They also have specialty vinegars made here to taste. If you like balsamic-need to try the double balsamic-out of this world! Two bottles came home with us!! Overall a really chill experience:) read more

Harvest Spirits - Cocktail menu - Distilleries Near Me - Valatie, New York

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This place is one of the best all-time stumbled upon surprises I have ever found! The distillery is an absolute work of art, with its barrel heads lined around the walls and overall design that is somewhere between a castle-like interior and an ultimate treehouse fortress. Their Apple Jack brandies are something special, which is partially why I returned to this place after 2-3 years having last gone by it. However, their farm stand delicacies (apple cider donuts, apple blossoms & more) were the other. So good! Plus, their Southern BBQ food is just plain great! Got the pulled pork sandwich and grilled cheese w/bacon & mushrooms, with sides mac-n-cheese, apple cidered collards, smoked beans and pickles. Took them to go, and 3.5 hours later enjoyed them all immensely! Legit southern BBQ food! Truly down home comfort food! read more

When I first reviewed this little regional farm distillery I was enamored of the place, but wrote: "I am reserving the last star for when they get their pot-still and start producing brandies with more depth. That, or if they manage to recreate the great american applejack (it is in the works)." My apologies for taking ten years to get back to update this review, but Derek and his team have grown. Their product line has expanded. The distilling has become more consistent minimizing variations batch to batch. Mind you, those variations could be magical. I still remember Batch #21 of Core Vodka, and it was magnificent. Now beyond just a distilled applejack, they have a whiskey made in a Scottish style which gets some of its smoke from apple skins instead of peat. It's kind of brilliant. As are their Applejacks which have been infused with local fruit. I first fell in love with the peach, but then the cherry came out and I'm cherishing my bottle of the stuff. Still, one of my all time favorites is the unaged pear brandy. This is a love it or hate it product. But try pouring a jigger of it over lemon ice in the middle of summer. You can thank me later. Harvest spirits is exactly what I want a distillery to be. Taking local fruit from the farm that isn't commercially viable, and turning it into something precious indeed. Bravo to them. If you haven't been, you owe it to yourself to go. Just make sure if you're going to get an apple cider donut at the farm stand out front, you eat the donut after the tasting. You don't want to ruin your palate before diving into these spirits. read more

The bourbon taste wonderful. However, very tiny servings for the cocktails. Not very impressed. I would say this is the dixie cup size. read more

Harvest Spirits - Little servings for the cocktails. - Distilleries Near Me - Valatie, New York

Be prepared when you take a sip. This isn't hard apple cider or peach brandy. These hand crafted vodkas and applejacks will set a fire in your gullet and warm you up quicker than molten lava. It's all locally sourced from apples and pears and cherries and peaches and raspberries. But believe me, these are not fruity froo-froo umbrella drinks. These are serious liquors that have more in common with Jack Daniels than Boones Farm. It's a beautiful space with all kinds of neat equipment everywhere highlighted by huge copper tanks where the spirits are distilled on site. You can taste samples for a buck, but be prepared for the burn. You can buy bottles for about $30 a piece. If you are the kind of consumer who really likes small batch lovingly crafted vodkas, here is a place you have to see. read more

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Have visited the farm stand and distillery several times a year for the past decade and they have certainly grown and matured. The apple jack hand sanitizer they produced during the pandemic was genius and our family really appreciated the innovative solution. Aside from the standard Core vodka and the reserve Apple Jack we love, this trip we purchased the vinegar sampler. With spring coming on, I am looking forward to making some interesting salad dressings with this vinegar collection. Our visit on a chill, rainy afternoon found their tasting room to be full and boisterous.The decor is great - barrel wood and giant stills, however the acoustics are on the loud side. read more

Harvest Spirits - The vinegar sampler. - Distilleries Near Me - Valatie, New York

This was an unexpected plus to my autumn trip around the upper Hudson Valley. My friend and I went to the Golden Harvest Farms store to buy apples and partake of their famous apple cider donuts and I noticed the distillery between the farm store and the apple orchards. Giving in to curiosity, I decided that we should go inside. The staff immediately welcomed us, explained their products, allowed us to wander around and view the distilling apparatus and observe the process. Derek, the owner and chief distiller, showed us bottles of their products and explained the processes and timetables involved in their distillery's production. For a few bucks we were able to have a tasting of the spirits they produced. Every single one of them was excellent, my favorite being the pear brandy - the very best spirit I have ever tasted. The prices of the bottled spirits are reasonable, especially considering the very high quality of the products. I was later told by my friend, who used to run a local bed and breakfast, that when guests would ask him what local spots to visit, this was one of his recommendations; I can say that I understand why! read more

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So disappointed! For last several years Harvest Spirits' "Cornelius Cherry" brandy has become my favorite nightcap and their Core Vodka and Whiskeys are fantastic. However, while attending a tasting at Exit 9 Wine & Liquor I learned from the rep that if you return the empty bottles to the distillery in Valatie they recycle and will discount a purchase 15% for the return of three bottles. I called to verify since it's a 40 min drive, and off we went. I purchased a 750ml bottle expecting there to be a 15%savings above what Exit 9 Wine & Liquor charges, as this is where I normally purchase the product. As things turn out, Harvest Spirits charged $52 per bottle and with the 15% discount I still paid $2.20 MORE than Exit 9 after a 40 min drive. BUYER BEWARE: Toss the bottles (recycling) and save $9.58 at Exit 9. read more

Harvest Spirits - Harvest Spirits Receipt (Cornelius Cherry) - Distilleries Near Me - Valatie, New York

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Holy crap. I tried the Batch 21 Core Vodka today and it was amazing. I had never bought into the concept of a "sipping vodka" but today I got it. Most vodka doesn't have much taste but when it does, it would be lucky to taste as smooth and complex as this stuff. The #21 is acknowledged by the distiller as their best batch yet but they are getting better and better so don't worry if it is sold out, more good stuff to come. I was actually here for the first release of the Applejack, very fine stuff quite similar to a fine sipping bourbon although it did not put me into another galaxy like the #21. Pricing is $35 for vodka, $40 for applejack which is fabulous for the quality and a bottle with the hand lettered batch number on the label. If you give one of these hand made bottles to someone as a gift, you should expect and deserve fawning gratitude. You can buy Harvest Spirits in selected NY liquor stores but you probably won't have your choice of several recent batches, and you won't have the pleasure of visiting this pleasant apple orchard with a store next door selling cider, fresh baked pies, apples by the basket, all the good things you'd expect. One thing if you come here though, they pour generously on the tastes and this is powerful stuff. So limit yourself to 2 or have a designated driver. read more

I visited Harvest Spirits and I fell in love with the Applejack. The products are incredibly high quality and delicious, distilled from homegrown apples. The Applejack is made from distilling fermented hard cider twice in small batches; it is then aged for two years in ex-bourbon casks. It drinks like a bourbon whiskey more than a brandy. It is splendid. Learning about the distillation process was fun and tasty too (it included samples of as many of the products as we wanted). Founder Derek Grout shared his passion for his products and I loved being a part of it! read more

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I love local breweries, wineries, and distilleries and this place is wonderful! The spirits are great here and you can try a ton of different things. The owners are very cool and very passionate about their craft. The applejack is the big draw here, but we actually liked the single malt whiskey better. Definitely stop in here to try the spirits and Autumn is a great time of here to come since they have tons of apples and pumpkins for sale outside. read more

Harvest Spirits - They illustrate each barrel with a unique design, so cool! - Distilleries Near Me - Valatie, New York

Aside from a season in Utah, a year in Albany and two years in Los Angeles, I've spent most of my life in rural Columbia county. Although I had my issues with the county in the past, I let go and now rep it real hard wherever I go. I could not contain my excitement when I stumbled upon this video while at school in Los Angeles http://www.ccscoop.com/food/08nov/23-harvestspirits/harvestspirits.html Vodka. Produced using apples from a small farm. After breaking through miles of red tape up in Albany (seriously, New York needs to update its archaic liquor laws), the owners obtained something along the lines of a farmer-distillery liquor license. What's great about Harvest Spirits is the staff will answer any question and do not hesitate to show you around. The guy conducting the tour showed me the research & development section: a simple table with a small still surrounded by a plethora of unlabeled bottles filled with assorted liquors. In an age where alcohol sales, especially liquor, are tightly regulated by the state, it was interesting seeing, smelling and tasting liquors still in the development stage. I'm not a fan of vodka, so I'll wait til their applejack comes out in the fall to make a purchase. I hope the distillery makes it and continues to produce interesting liquors for sale in the Hudson Valley. Keep it up Columbia county! read more

Harvest Spirits - Applejack! Albeit, a bit darker looking than the actual product. - Distilleries Near Me - Valatie, New York

Excellent selection of locally made Liquors also vinaigrettes very friendly atmosphere also

Harvest Spirits' Core apple vodka is one of the few vodkas I've ever found that's actually nice to sip (as opposed to using as a mixer, or a shot). Great stuff. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for their Applejack. It's simply undrinkable, with a very harsh medicinal aftertaste. I tried it twice, could not finish it either time; not sure what if anything to do with the remainder of the bottle, besides maybe keeping it in the bathroom for sterilizing wounds... read more

I love these guys. The spirits are wonderful and everyone who works there is just so nice. They also have two very friendly cats. My favorite is slim. She loves to cuddle on your shoulder. As for the booze, I would definitely recommend the John Henry Whiskey and the Core Gin. They are really exquisite. Well done guys. read more

Have gone to the farm stand for many years. Went to the distillery for the first time. Purchased apple jack and the cherry brandy. Not bad but very high priced. read more

Very cool distillery attached to an apple farm where they brew their own brandy in many different flavors. You can purchase samples at their bar, including hard cider options, and the bartenders/owners will tell you all about the process. Felt like I was on an adult field trip! Very cool way to spend the afternoon! read more