A Growing Spirits Scene

The Finger Lakes has been making wine for over 60 years and craft beer for 25, but distilling is the newer wave. New York’s farm distillery laws, updated in 2007 and expanded since, allow small distilleries to operate tasting rooms, sell bottles on-site, and serve cocktails made with their own spirits. The requirement that farm distilleries use a significant percentage of New York-grown grain and fruit has pushed producers to work with local farmers, creating spirits with genuine regional character.

There are now roughly 15 to 20 distilleries in and around the Finger Lakes, ranging from converted barn operations making fruit brandy from their own orchard to serious grain-to-glass whiskey producers aging barrels in purpose-built warehouses. The quality ranges too — some are excellent, some are tourist traps pouring flavored vodka that tastes like perfume. Here are the ones worth your time.

Finger Lakes Distilling (Burdett, Seneca Lake)

The pioneer and still the gold standard. Finger Lakes Distilling opened in 2008 on the east side of Seneca Lake, and their range has expanded from a handful of products to an impressive portfolio of whiskey, gin, brandy, and liqueur. The McKenzie line is their workhorse: McKenzie Rye Whiskey, aged in new American oak barrels, is a legitimate sipping whiskey with spice and vanilla notes. The McKenzie Bourbon, slightly sweeter and rounder, holds its own against Kentucky products at twice the price.

But the spirits that make Finger Lakes Distilling unique are the ones tied to the region. Their Grape Brandy, distilled from Gewurztraminer grapes grown on Seneca Lake, is floral and complex. The Pear Brandy, made from Bartlett pears, is crystalline and pure — it tastes exactly like biting into a ripe pear. The Maplejack, an apple brandy blended with maple syrup and aged in oak, is the kind of spirit you would never find outside this region.

The tasting room is open daily, with a cocktail bar that mixes drinks using their full line. The setting — a converted barn overlooking the lake — is handsome. Tasting flights run $10 to $15 for a set of four or five pours. Bottles range from $25 for vodka to $60+ for aged whiskeys. Located on Route 414, about 10 minutes north of Watkins Glen.

Black Button Distilling (Rochester, with Finger Lakes connections)

Black Button is based in Rochester, but their spirits are made with New York grain and they are fixtures at Finger Lakes events and retailers. Their Four Grain Bourbon, made from corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley, is smooth and well-balanced. The Citrus Forward Gin uses botanicals that lean bright and refreshing rather than heavy on juniper. And their Bespoke Bourbon Cream — bourbon blended with dairy cream — is dangerously drinkable and makes a good gift for someone who does not typically drink straight spirits.

The Rochester tasting room is worth a visit if you are passing through the city. Tours run on Saturdays and include tastings. Bottles are available at the distillery and at liquor stores throughout the Finger Lakes region.

Denning’s Point Distillery (Beacon, Hudson Valley)

Another producer outside the Finger Lakes footprint whose spirits show up in regional bars and stores. Their Great 9 Gin is made in a pot still with nine botanicals and has a following among cocktail enthusiasts. If you see it on a back bar at a Finger Lakes restaurant, order a gin and tonic made with it.

Torque Craft Distilling (Seneca Lake)

A smaller operation on the Seneca Lake wine trail producing vodka, gin, and unaged spirits from New York grain. Their vodka is clean and well-distilled — a good base for cocktails rather than a sipping spirit. The gin uses local botanicals and has a floral, herbaceous character. The tasting room is small and personal. Open seasonally; check hours.

Krooked Tusker Distillery (Watkins Glen area)

A farmstead distillery producing whiskey, rum, vodka, and specialty spirits from grain and sugarcane grown or sourced locally. Small-batch and handcrafted, with the imperfections and character that implies. The whiskey is young but promising. The tasting room is informal and the owners are happy to explain their process. Worth a stop if you are in the Watkins Glen area and want something different from another wine tasting.

Fruit Brandies and Grappas

The Finger Lakes’ abundance of fruit — grapes, apples, pears, stone fruit — makes it natural brandy and grappa territory. Several wineries produce grape-based spirits alongside their wines:

• Ravines Wine Cellars: Produces a grappa from their Gewurztraminer pomace. Aromatic, clean, and a genuine digestif rather than the firewater that gives grappa a bad reputation.
• Finger Lakes Distilling’s grape brandies: As mentioned above, their single-varietal brandies are the best fruit spirits in the region.
• Farm cideries making apple brandy: South Hill Cider in Ithaca and Finger Lakes Cider House in Interlaken both experiment with apple spirits on occasion. Availability is limited and seasonal.

Cocktail Bars Worth Visiting

The Finger Lakes is not a cocktail bar region in the way that Brooklyn or San Francisco is, but a few spots take mixed drinks seriously:

FLX Wienery (Geneva): Chris Bates’ casual hot dog restaurant on Linden Street doubles as one of the better cocktail spots in the region. The drink menu features Finger Lakes spirits, house-made syrups, and creative combinations. A cocktail made with McKenzie Rye and local honey alongside a grass-fed hot dog is the kind of pairing that only works in the Finger Lakes.

Stonecat Cafe (Hector): Their bar program uses local spirits and seasonal ingredients. The cocktail list changes with the menu and reflects what is fresh. A good option for a cocktail with dinner on the east side of Seneca Lake.

Just a Taste (Ithaca): The wine bar on the Ithaca Commons also makes solid cocktails, including several that showcase Finger Lakes spirits. A pre-dinner drink here is a good way to start an evening in Ithaca.

The bar at Hazelnut Kitchen (Trumansburg): BYOB for wine, but they mix cocktails with local spirits. If you are dining here (and you should be), start with a cocktail made by someone who cares about the ingredients.

Planning a Distillery Trail Day

The distilleries are not as densely clustered as the wineries, so a distillery-focused day trip requires some planning. Here is a practical route:

Morning: Start at Finger Lakes Distilling on Route 414 (opens around 10 or 11 a.m.). Spend an hour tasting and buy a bottle or two. Drive north along Seneca Lake.

Midday: Lunch at Two Goats Brewing in Burdett or Stonecat Cafe in Hector. Both are on Route 414 between Finger Lakes Distilling and Geneva.

Afternoon: Stop at any of the smaller distilleries that are open along the route. End in Geneva for cocktails at FLX Wienery.

Designated driver note: Spirit tastings are small pours (typically quarter-ounce to half-ounce), but the alcohol content is 40% or higher. Three distillery visits with full flights will impair your driving. Designate a driver or limit your tastings.

For more on the beverage scene, see our guides to the beer trail, wineries for beginners, and restaurants in Geneva.