Newsletter No. 10
The Quiet Season
On December 30th we filled barrel number 291, the last of our 2024 production. We are now nearing capacity in our barrel house - at least on the first tier. When we reach barrel 320 - or thereabouts - we will need to introduce a second tier of barrel storage. At Silver Brothers, our barrels mature in a traditional dunnage-style barrel house which does not use racks or frames. Barrels are stacked one row atop the other, with a pair of two-by-fours between each level. With this method of storage we can stack our barrels three-high before the weight of the stack becomes a liability. We can accommodate nearly 1000 barrels in our primary barrel house.
Barrel 291, as it happens, was an American Single Malt Whiskey, made from 100% malted barley. Our single malt production kicked off after Thanksgiving, and concluded in mid-January. During the course of our single malt run, the US Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau - the federal agency regulating whiskey sales and standards - officially recognized the American Single Malt designation, codified with a set of standards that define the category. It has been over fifty years since the US Government added a new classification of whiskey and we’re excited to be a participant in the American Single Malt movement, which you can learn more about here.
Just before the new year, we took a short break in production and seized the opportunity to clean and polish the copper exteriors of both the wash and spirit stills. This painstaking process is done entirely by hand and takes several days (and half a gallon of Wright’s Copper Cream). But the end result is inspiring, and a bright way to begin the new year. Watch a time-lapse video of the cleaning process here.
On the farm we are in our “quiet season.” The fields are dormant, awaiting longer and warmer days. This is the time of year that we repair and maintain our farm equipment (replacing plow points, servicing the tractor) and make plans for spring planting.
Though dormant, the farm is still beautiful in winter, and we were excited to welcome visitors from the Columbia County Land Conservancy (CLC) to walk the farm and see our distillery operation. CLC preserves land from development through easements - where development rights are sold or donated to restrict or prohibit building on the land - to maintain the rural character of Columbia County. Our farm was put into a CLC easement nearly thirty years ago by the prior owners, Tom and Nancy Clark, thus preserving over 200 pastoral acres in perpetuity.
With this newsletter we introduce a new section, “About Our Whiskey,” in which we explore the many elements that define our whiskey’s flavor and character. We start with the most basic element of all, and one of the three foundational ingredients in whiskey - water.
We use water throughout our process - first in the mash where we mix hot water with milled grains to convert their starches to sugar; next after distillation when we “proof-down” our new make spirit from ~74% alcohol by volume (ABV) to 55% for prior to barreling; and finally before bottling, where we will eventually temper our barrel-strength whiskey to a more drinkable ABV.
Our farm is surrounded by water - almost an island of sorts. The quick-running Trout Brook bounds the property on the north and east. The southern edge of the farm terminates in wetlands and abundant springs. While the western border is demarcated by the wide and beguiling Kinderhook Creek, winding its way from the Berkshire Mountains to the Hudson River.
But it’s the water that flows underground that matters most to our whiskey. One of the many attributes that makes our farm ideal for whiskey production is the aquifer on which it sits. This highly productive aquifer runs a fifteen mile span, from Nassau to the north to the Village of Chatham in the south, where it pours out of a popular spring box at 150 gallons per minute. The quality of the spring water is regionally known - people come regularly from as far as Vermont, in fact, to collect the mineral rich water from this spring.
That very same water comes up through two wells directly next to the distillery. The bedrock at our farm, and on which this aquifer sits, is made of limestone and shale. Limestone is a well known friend to whiskey makers (and brewers as well). Its abundant calcium, absorbed in water, aids the fermentation process in both efficiency and flavor development. Additionally, limestone-rich water creates a smooth mouthfeel on the palate that gives whiskey more body. The slate contributes as well, but adds a different character - a crisp minerality and earthiness that comes through in subtle but consistent undertones in our finished whiskey.
Abelardo Morell: In the Company of Monet and Constable. On view through February 17, The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. clarkart.edu
Great Backyard Bird Count. February 15, 9:00 am - 11:00 am, Ooms Conservation Area, Chatham. columbialand.org
Living Foods: Cheesemaking for Home Cooks. Saturday, February 15, 2025, 12:00 - 2:00 pm, Churchtown Dairy, Hudson. Tickets: churchtowndairy.org
Berkshire Botanical Garden 28th Annual Winter Lecture: Jacqueline van der Kloet. Sunday, February 16, 2:00 pm. Lenox High School. Tickets: berkshirebotanical.org
The Bulb Show. February 21 - March 23, Daily, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, Berkshire Botanical Garden. berkshirebotanical.org
The Livingston’s Landscape: Uncover the relationship the Livingstons had with the land and those living on it. Sunday, February 23, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, Clermont State Historic Site, Taconic. parks.ny.gov
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