Overview: Founded by Matthew Greitzer, Silver Brothers Spirits Company reimagines local whiskey-making in Old Chatham using Hudson Valley terroir. First distillation began in 2023 following a 2020 property purchase and 2022 grain harvest.
The Full Story
Matt Greitzer grew up in the verdant embrace of the Hudson Valley, specifically Spencertown, but initially left for college at 17 with no plans to return full time. He established his career in Manhattan at a digital advertising agency, becoming a serial entrepreneur in digital advertising technology where success is measured in milliseconds of response time. Over the years, he started to appreciate the incredible beauty of the area as well as the dynamism and vibrancy of the agricultural, culinary, and arts communities. A transformative experience with a bottle of Scotch whiskey provided the answer to how he could participate in that ambition.
Greitzer chanced upon a life-changing scotch—Bruichladdich 12, 2nd Edition—which transported him instantly to the isle of Islay in Scotland. It was described as a perfect expression of a place and a time, distilled in a glass. And so began his quest to capture the unique terroir of the Hudson Valley in a bottle. In 2020, he and his wife, Kim Driessen-Greitzer, purchased the 210 acres and classic Shaker-style red barns that had formerly housed the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company from the company’s founders, Tom and Nancy Clark, who live nearby.
The property has a centuries-old farming pedigree, as well as all the key elements needed for a distillery, including three-phase power, ample storage in those big red barns, and the key feature, an underground aquifer that rests on limestone and shale. You can’t make great whiskey without great water, says Greitzer. Limestone is the bingo for making a distinct whiskey: it lends minerals and mouthfeel, and the calcium and magnesium it carries fuel a robust fermentation. It’s the geological reason Kentucky bourbon tastes like Kentucky. And now it maybe one reason rye or scotch whiskey from the Hudson Valley will earn a place beside it.
Production & Profile
The pace of learning and progress at a distillery is significantly different from that of digital. With farming, everything takes a year to learn, says Greitzer, who was coming to this project with zero agricultural experience. Fortunately, there is plenty of know-how in the area—and farmers are used to helping one another. Tom Clark introduced Greitzer to P.J. Trowbridge, a second-generation farmer who had hayed the Old Chatham property for years and now manages the farming operation.
P.J. had deep knowledge of the fields on the farm, as well as a genuine interest in figuring out how to grow organic small grains in our area, says Greitzer, referring to the barley and rye needed for scotch whiskey and rye production. Silver Brothers’ first grain harvest took place in 2022, and the first distillation and barreling began in 2023. Rye grows beautifully, says Greitzer. Barley has been harder: We’ve had total field failures. He’s been trying different varietals—some work, some don’t.
Brand & Industry History
Founded by Hudson Valley native Matthew Greitzer, Silver Brothers Spirits Company reimagines the local tradition of whiskey-making in Old Chatham. The property was purchased from Tom and Nancy Clark in 2020, who founded the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company that previously housed the barns. The property has a centuries-old farming pedigree, as well as all the key elements needed for a distillery, including three-phase power, ample storage in those big red barns, and the key feature, an underground aquifer that rests on limestone and shale.
What This Means
Greitzer built his first career on predicting and controlling outcomes at scale. He has since entered a business where the grain decides what kind of year it’s going to be. But he’s circumspect on the matter, earning his farmer’s reserve and agricultural bona fides with each harvest: Growing small grains in the Hudson Valley was really the whole point, he says. That’s core to what we do.
Consumer Takeaway
The first Silver Brothers whiskeys—rye, unpeated single-malt, and a few bourbons—the distiller wanted to try his hand—are ready to express their unique, regional profiles at last. Sample a sip in the gleaming, new tasting room. We had an ambition to create a world-class whiskey here in the Hudson Valley, Greitzer says, and we are well on our way to getting there.
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