I made a trip back to Harvest Spirits to see what they’ve been up to since I last visited over two years ago. Harvest Spirits is located on one of the large apple orchards just southeast of Albany, Golden Harvest Farms.
Just like the first time I visited, I was greeted by a cat. Only this time, it wasn’t the same cat. This one was a lovely calico, and I just had to pick her up. She had the throatiest purr going on, and was determined to crawl up onto my shoulder. I felt right at home!
Something else that hadn’t changed was the tour guide from my initial visit was still there! Sherwood is a fountain of knowledge, and educated me about the process of distilling (which I understand a little better, since he used the 6th grade version of the water cycle to explain the process…but I still don’t understand it enough to write about it confidently!), told me about the different types of alcohol that are homegrown at the distillery, about the awards they had won, and of course, gave me a nice tasting!
Just like the first time I visited, I was greeted by a cat. Only this time, it wasn’t the same cat. This one was a lovely calico, and I just had to pick her up. She had the throatiest purr going on, and was determined to crawl up onto my shoulder. I felt right at home!
Something else that hadn’t changed was the tour guide from my initial visit was still there! Sherwood is a fountain of knowledge, and educated me about the process of distilling (which I understand a little better, since he used the 6th grade version of the water cycle to explain the process…but I still don’t understand it enough to write about it confidently!), told me about the different types of alcohol that are homegrown at the distillery, about the awards they had won, and of course, gave me a nice tasting!
I loved looking around the distillery. The alcohol is stored in barrels for at least two years. The barrels are hand-drawn by the owner, Derek, with a Sharpie. Lots of talent going on, and the unique barrels are for sale if you're interested in owning a unique, piece of art that smells like apples!
That’s where the things that stayed the same stopped! Sherwood explained that they had a lot of new products available, or brought back some traditional products. Some of the products they have available are:
- John Henry Single Malt Whiskey. I tried this one. It was a bit strong for my taste, but Sherwood explained the process, and if you like Malt Whiskey, this is something you MUST try!
- Cornelius Peach. It takes four tons of crushed peaches and nectarines to make one bottle of this amazing beverage. Yes, I tried this one too, and it was amazing! Like a fresh peach in my mouth that had been soaked in Applejack.
- Cornelius Cherry. Yep. Tried this one too. It was like a tart cherry burst open in my mouth. I was very happy with this one!
- They have re-released the Rare Pear Brandy, which is my favorite. There was a pear shortage a few years ago, so they had stopped making it. Fortunately for us, it’s back in all its glory!
During my walk about the distillery, I kept noticing a very large, very full bottle sitting on the table. Sherwood told me this is “Scrumpy,” a very sweet, traditional applejack that has been barrel-aged after two freeze distillations. It tasted like apple ice wine. If you’ve never had ice wine, it’s a very sweet dessert wine, and this Scrumpy was delicious! I wanted to have a bowl of ice cream with Scrumpy on it immediately! I may have to go back and buy some eventually. I couldn’t buy it today, since it was still curing.
I was very impressed with all the awards Harvest Spirits has won. I’m proud of the farmers, growers and producers in New York State, and they are well-represented wherever they go. Harvest Spirits has won the Double Gold award at the SF World Spirits Competition for their Cornelius Applejack, Gold for the Core Vodka and Pear Brandy at the Chicago International Review of Spirits and for the Pear Brandy at the SF World Spirits Competition. They’ve won many other awards, but none that I am prouder (for their sake) for winning than for their Vodka in the Moscow International Wine & Spirits Competition. You know the Vodka has to be good if they take it to Russia and it wins!
I love the feeling of this distillery. It’s like being at home with a warm glass of brandy, cat purring in your lap. These are some truly dedicated, talented artisans. If you’re in the Upstate area, I highly recommend checking them out, sampling their wares, and of courses, taking a few bottles of their award winning artisinal spirits with you!
Thank you to Harvest Spirits for donating a six-pack of samples to one lucky winner! To win, like the Facebook blog post. I will have to verify that you are 21 years or older to win!