Overview: Silver Brothers Spirits has announced the debut of its New York-made products, headlined by the release of Limited Run Barrel 8 Rye Whiskey. The distillery, located in Old Chatham, New York, utilizes local ingredients and specific fermentation techniques to craft spirits that carry the prestigious Empire Rye seal.
The Full Story
Matt Greitzer and Kim Driessen purchased the farm on which the distillery is located in 2020 to establish Silver Brothers Distillery. The facility features a tasting room, barrel house, and copper stills, offering weekend tours and tastings from noon to 5 p.m. and by appointment. The company name is a nod to Greitzer’s twin sons, whose initials are AG — the symbol for silver on the periodic table. Some products carry the Empire Rye seal, which hallmarks whiskeys and ryes made exclusively in New York State under strict standards.
The farm uses about 150 of its 220 acres for the distillery and leases out the remaining space to other companies. The facility sits on an aquifer that contributes to the spirits’ distinctive tastes, with water containing calcium that gives a great mouthfeel for whiskey. The distillery ferments its single malt off the grain and its ryes and bourbon on the grain, which contributes to the flavor profile.
Production & Profile
Silver Brothers uses a seven-day fermentation process, which works perfectly for the distillery’s small size. The barrelhouse is un-climatized, which allows for expansion and contraction of the spirits in the barrels as the weather warms and cools. Limited Run Barrel 8 Rye Whiskey was fermented with Kveik yeast and bottled at barrel strength, while other products are slowly and carefully reduced in proof when they come out of the barrel. The facility features copper stills that were specially made for the company.
Fermentation vats help turn grains into whiskeys, and giant silos house the grains used in Silver Brothers Distillery’s products. Once the spirits are finished distilling, they get stored in charred oak barrels until they’re aged and ready to sell. Silver Brothers uses both new and old barrels, depending on their products. Since “true” ryes and bourbons can only be made in new barrels, those are used for those spirits. Their single malt uses both old and new barrels.
Brand & Industry History
Owners Matt Greitzer and Kim Driessen purchased the farm in 2020 to establish the distillery. The company logo is also the alchemical symbol for silver, one of the “seven ancient metals,” and a playful reference to the process of transformation that creates whiskey from grains. Some products carry the Empire Rye seal, which means the spirit was made with 75% New York rye grains at one distillery with all the grain coming from the same harvest year, barreled in new charred oak at no more than 115 proof and aged for a minimum of two years.
What This Means
Silver Brothers products are available for sale at the Old Chatham distillery and through the company website. Greitzer and Driessen plan to begin offering them at stores throughout the Capital Region and Columbia County in the near future, hopefully by September, as the ryes and whiskeys finish aging and become ready for market. Their product lineup will also eventually include a bourbon, which is not ready yet.
Consumer Takeaway
The Limited Run Barrel 8 Rye Whiskey is available for sale beginning on August 1 with only 120 bottles available. It offers a deep and complex flavor profile with notes of spices, cinnamon, plum, cloves, and stone fruit. The aquifer water used at the facility contributes to the spirits’ distinctive tastes, providing a great mouthfeel for whiskey.
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