Finger Lakes Distilling President Brian McKenzie and his uncle Mike Matera start pitting a mountain of local peaches.

Educating people about the process, science and tradition of distilling is a big part of our game plan at Finger Lakes Distilling.

What is distillation?

To distill a liquid is to heat it to the point of evaporation and then condense the vapor back into a liquid.

At Finger Lakes Distilling, we distill fermented liquids in our hybrid pot-column still, concentrating the alcohol to spirit strength. By heating the fermented liquid (wine, whiskey mash, etc) with a steam jacket surrounding the pot, it begins to vaporize. Because alcohol has a lower boiling point (173 degrees) than water (212 degrees) the vapors that form have a higher concentration of alcohol. That is how we can take a liquid like wine with about 12% alcohol up to as high as 95%.

Where do you get your ingredients?

The Finger Lakes region has an ample supply of high quality ingredients. For the most part, we like to keep our ingredient sources as local as possible, and within a 50-mile radius of the distillery. In addition, we have our own 4 acres of Concord and Niagara grapes that we blend in with many of our spirits.

What is whiskey?

Whiskey is distilled from a grain mash, at below 160 proof, so as to maintain the flavors of the grain.
The spirits category of "Whiskey" encompasses several different products, including:

Bourbon - Bourbon must be made from a mash of at least 51% corn, the remainder split between either wheat or rye, and barley malt. It also must be aged in a new charred oak barrel.

Corn whiskey - Corn whiskey must be made of at least 80% corn and can be sold without any barrel aging.

Rye whiskey - this is probably the oldest type of whiskey produced in America. For a while, Rye fell out of favor with the American public, but has seen a resurgence in popularity over the last few years. Rye must be made from a mash of at least 51% rye grain, the remainder being corn and barley malt.

Canadian, Irish or Scotch Whiskey - These whiskies are distinct to their countries of origin and subject to their respective laws regarding the methods for manufacturing them.

How does Finger Lakes Distilling make whiskey?

We bring in the raw whole grains from local farms. We then mill them into a fine meal. After milling, we cook the grain in our mash cooker to produce a thick, starchy mash. As the temperature falls in the mash, we add barley malt, to turn the starch into sugar.

Once the mash has cooled, we pump it into our fermentation tanks. After about 3-5 days of fermentation we pump it into our pot still, where it is distilled, making unaged whiskey or "white dog" as they say in Kentucky. We then cut it with deionized water and age it in oak barrels.

What sets your whiskey apart from other microdistilled whiskies?

There are a lot of whiskies being produced by microdistilleries today. We believe ours will be distinctive for several reasons. We intend to control all of the process ourselves by taking it from raw grain to finished whiskey here at the distillery. We will avoid using commercial enzymes. We have also designed our still so that we can distill our whiskey in small batches using a true old-fashioned pot still.

Our process will be more time-consuming, but we will adhere to traditional methods and be doing true craft distillation.

What is vodka?

Vodka can be distilled using any base ingredient containing starch or sugar, which is necessary for the fermentation process. Once fermentation of the base ingredient is complete, the spirit must be distilled to at least 190 proof, or 95% alcohol by volume, in order to call it vodka. Most vodkas are then cut, or diluted, down to a drinkable alcohol level, typically around 80 proof, 40% alcohol by volume.

What makes FLD's vodka different?

Unlike most vodka on the market today, we use local grapes as a base ingredient instead of grains or potatoes. We distill our vodka to 190 proof, but do not put it through additional distillations once that target is met. In doing so, some of the grape character is retained in the final product. Vintner's Vodka has a bit more taste than most vodka on the market.

What is gin?

Gin is simply a neutral spirit that is then flavored with juniper berries. Often, several botanicals are added for increased flavoring.

What makes FLD's gin different?

We use a grape neutral spirit as a majority of the base for our Seneca Drums Gin, whereas most gin makers use a neutral grain spirit. We feel this makes for a more complex and aromatic gin. We also balance out the "piney" characteristic of the juniper with a unique blend of botanicals including citrus peel, coriander, cardamom, fresh cucumber and black pepper. Even people that don't typically like gin have been converted to this liquor after tasting Seneca Drums.

What is a liqueur?

A liqueur is a spirit that is infused and then sweetened to taste. Everything from fruits, nuts, vegetables, flowers, creams, sugars, syrups, and herbs are possible ingredients for the infusion. Many liqueurs are lower in proof than spirits (liquors), but they can reach spirit level strength if desired. The term "cordial" is often used interchangeably with liqueur.

What is grappa?

Grappa is a traditional Italian spirit made using grape pomace from the winemaking process. Pomace simply consists of skins, seeds, and stems left over when initially pressing the grapes into a juice, and before they ferment into a wine. These leftovers are then fermented on their own, and then distilled. Typically grappa ranges from 75 to 120 proof.

What is brandy?

Most commonly, the term brandy refers to a spirit that's created when grape-based wine is distilled. But, it also includes fruit and pomace brandy as well. Brandy made from grape-based wine often has color, either from barrel aging or caramel color additives. Fruit brandy and pomace brandy are often clear in color, but some are also aged or colored as well.

What gives a spirit color?

All distilled spirits are initially clear, regardless of the type. What gives them their color is barrel-aging, infusions, or natural or artificial coloring. Here at FLD, we only barrel-age or infuse our spirits with natural, local ingredients to give them color.

How long do you age spirits?

Several factors determine how long a spirit needs to age, the type of spirit being the most important. The ingredients and the barrel type and barrel size equally affect the aging process and length. Some whiskeys, for example, require a minimum time to age in barrels, and may additionally require a certain kind of barrel. Here at FLD, we carefully test our aged spirits at regular intervals to insure that it is satisfactorily aged before leaving the barrel.

What kind of barrels do you use?

We use new charred oak, used bourbon, and sherry barrels at the distillery. What type of barrel depends on the type of spirit and flavor characteristics we are looking for in an aged spirit. Specifically, our Rye whiskey and our Bourbon required a new charred oak barrel for each batch.