1954Zinke moves to Columbia County
Dan and Madeline Zinke move from Queens to Columbia County, near Kinderhook Lake. Dan learns apple farming while working on the old Dudley Farm. They have two daughters, Jackie and Jayne.
|
1957
Golden Harvest Farms Established
Dan and Madeline Zinke establish the apple farm on a 45 acre plot of orchards on Route 9 north of Valatie. They built a small cold storage facility and retail farm market or "road stand".
|
1960Antique Rack and Cloth Cider Press
A cider house expansion: The main building is expanded with more cold storage and cider house. An antique 32" vertical rack-and-cloth press is installed on the south side of the building.
|
1974A New Generation Arrives
The Zinkes' daughter, Jayne and husband, Alan take over Golden Harvest Farms along with their 4 young boys and number 5 soon on the way.
|
Tree to bottle spiritsHarvest Spirits Farm Distillery products are crafted in the “tree to bottle” method, with the apples grown steps from the distillery then pressed, fermented, distilled and bottled all on-site. Working closely with several local farms, Harvest Spirits is a true Farm Distillery, promoting strong ties among the local farmers and sharing information readily, from farm to bottle.
Having helped to forge the way in New York craft distilling, Harvest Spirits received New York State’s first Farm Distillery license in 2007 and shortly after produced New York’s first Applejack since the prohibition era. Their award-winning spirits truly express the terroir of the Hudson River Valley and pay tribute to the abundant variety of the local fruit. Step into the distillery and you will get a sense of the homegrown and eclectic mix that has created this iconic place and space, where history, innovation, creativity and the pioneering spirit have built incredible experiences and truly exceptional products. Sample their award-winning spirits, enjoy a cocktail or a draft of local hard cider or beer out on their deck under the wisteria blooms. Either way, a visit to this unique place where it all began should be top on your list. Harvest Spirits never compromises on quality. Their products are homegrown and meticulously hand-crafted on the farm. Never any neutral grain spirits. No artificial ingredients, colors or sugars added. 100% gluten-free, excepting the whiskey of course. 100% family owned and operated and independently distributed – Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery is open for tours, tastings and sales every day, noon to 5pm. |
Our apples are pressed all year round on an antique rack-and-cloth cider press. The apples are washed and inspected before being crushed and pressed. The sweet cider is thick and pulpy and is made from a blend of several varieties of apples.
stainless steel fermentationThe sweet cider is pumped into large stainless steel tanks where yeast is added. The yeast promotes fermentation and the sweet cider turns into hard cider, about 6% alcohol.
distillationHard Cider is pumped into our 150 gallon Christian CARL copper pot still for a primary distillation. Here the alcohol is slowly cooked out of the hard cider. The alcohol is condensed back into a liquid and collected in tanks. The alcohol is pumped back into the kettle for a second distillation. During the second distillation, the batch is separated into fractions, known as the heads, hearts, and tails. Only the hearts are used for the final product.
aging and blendingSome of our products are aged, such as applejack, whiskey and some brandy. Others are not, like vodka. We age our products in large oak barrels that were previously used to age bourbon. Aging adds flavors of toasted oak, vanilla and caramel. It also allows the spirits to rest, coalescing and condensing the spirit.
|