Hudson is an American craft whisky brand created by the Tuthilltown Spirits company, which was founded in 2003 by Ralph Erenzo and Brian Lee. In 2001, Erenzo purchased the old Tuthilltown Gristmill, which had been in operation near Gardiner, New York, for over two hundred years, where he hoped to run a campground for climbers visiting the Shawangunk Ridge. His neighbors, however, objected to this plan, and research led Ralph to recognize the opportunities afforded by new legislation allowing small distilleries in New York State. Tuthilltown became the first distillery in New York to obtain the new class of license and the first whisky distillery to operate in the state since prohibition (there were once well over a thousand). Tuthilltown’s first product was a vodka made from New York apples. In 2007, they released Hudson Manhattan Rye, a 92-proof whisky made from 100 percent New York rye. The Hudson brand soon grew to include an unaged New York corn whisky and a 100 percent corn Baby Bourbon aged in small barrels. They also make a Four Grain Bourbon and a single malt whisky, as well as various short-run specialty bottles. In 2010, Tuthilltown formed a partnership with UK-based William Grant and Sons for production and worldwide distribution of the Hudson Whiskey brand, marking one of the first major deals struck between a large spirits company and a small-scale distiller.
See also craft distilling.
Reid Mitenbuler. Bourbon Empire; The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey. New York: Viking, 2015.
Rodewald, James. American Spirit; An Exploration of the Craft Distilling Revolution. New York: Sterling Epicure, 2014.
By: Max Watman