In November of 2016 KyMar Farm Distillery released their first whiskey. For those of you who are uninitiated,KyMar Farm Distillery is an award-winning craft winery and distillery located in the northern foothills of the Catskills. KyMar specializes in partnering with regional growers to bring local agricultural products from the field to the glass.
According to them, "KyMar Farm Distillery is pleased to announce the development of a new beverage, a whiskey made from a beer mash. Currently, there are only a few whiskeys of this type available in the United States. Traditionally, whiskey is defined as spirits distilled from a fermented mash of grain such as corn, wheat, or barley. KyMar's whiskey expands the category: it is brewed from a base of select beer mash and hops, which add depth and complexity to the flavor. The mash is first cooked by KyMar's brewing partner, then fermented and distilled at KyMar's Charlotteville location. The whiskey is proofed and aged in new American oak barrels for six months, then mixed into a Solera Aging system that blends previous batches with the next batch coming into the system. All of this contributes to the unique complex flavors of the spirit."
"We're excited to feature a beer-based whiskey in our portfolio of products," said distillery partner Erik Christman. "It's got a unique flavor that's rarely been explored in the industry."
I know for a fact that Ken really likes Bob Hockert, founder of U.S. Barrel, which is located outside of Lake Placid. He ages almost everything else in Bob's barrels, so I am assuming that this whiskey was aged in those as well.
I was visiting Derek Grout at Harvest Spirits who asked me if I had tasted it yet. And I told him I had not. He pulled out a bottle and poured me a drop from the 2nd batch, bottle number 35. Talk about the fraternity of distillers!
It was a big luscious whiskey with big baked apple up front, a nice hint of wood and spice, with caramel an vanilla. And a nice ending, with a creamy spiceness that lingers a little.
This is truly a local product, right down to be aged in New York state oak. A wonderful new little whiskey you really need to try!