Historic Whiskey from Mount Vernon’s Distillery Crafted at Hillrock Estate Distillery
CrushBrew Editorial · Wine & Beer · 6 min read
Second in the series “A Whiskey Rebellion: Craft Distilling in the Hudson Valley.”
Key Takeaways
Field-to-Glass — Hillrock is one of the few distilleries in the world to control every step on one estate, from growing grain to hand bottling.
A Revival — It is the first U.S. distillery since before Prohibition to floor malt and handcraft whiskey on site from estate-grown grain.
Whiskey Country — In the early 1800s, New York grew more than half the nation’s barley and rye, supporting over 1,000 farm distilleries before Prohibition shut them down.
George Washington Rye — Hillrock partnered with Mount Vernon to make an un-aged rye from Washington’s original recipe; each bottle contains whiskey distilled at Mount Vernon.
The Estate — Hillrock is crowned by a relocated and restored 1806 Georgian house on a 110-acre Columbia County farm, with plans for dinners, an outdoor patio, and a tasting room.
In This Article
Field-to-Glass
What is Hillrock Estate Distillery?
Field-to-glass whiskey was the dream of entrepreneur Jeff Baker, who founded Hillrock to control every step of production himself. The estate plants and harvests its own heirloom grains, smokes its own malt, distills in a copper pot still, ages in small oak barrels, and hand bottles the result. The point of all that control is terroir: a whiskey that tastes of the Hudson Valley rather than of a factory anywhere.
Definition
Field-to-Glass
A field-to-glass producer controls every step of whiskey-making on a single estate, from growing and harvesting the grain to malting, distilling, aging, and bottling. Hillrock is one of the few field-to-glass whiskey producers in the world.
The grain is floor malted in the distillery’s Malt House, believed to be the first such operation in the country since Prohibition, then craft-distilled in the copper pot still before aging and hand bottling on the estate. Keeping the malting under the same roof is what lets Baker push at the edges of the process.
Definition
Floor Malting
Floor malting is the traditional, hands-on method of malting grain inside a dedicated malt house. Hillrock’s Malt House is believed to be the first operating in the United States since Prohibition.
“Having a floor malting operation next to our distillery means that we can experiment,” Baker notes. “We have had some discussions about what the impact of using peat could be on rye and other grains. We’re also experimenting with other smoke too from fruitwood and nut wood.”
Hillrock’s distilling has been led by Master Distiller David Pickerell, an industry icon and the previous Master Distiller for Maker’s Mark, alongside distiller Tim Welly. Pickerell brought more than 20 years of distillery experience and a worldwide reputation as one of the top master distillers in the industry, directing Hillrock’s production and operations.
· ◆ ·
Whiskey Country
Why was the Hudson Valley once America’s whiskey country?
In the early 1800s, New York produced more than half the young nation’s barley and rye, and the Hudson Valley was the country’s breadbasket. That abundance of high-quality grain fed a craft-spirits boom: more than 1,000 farm distilleries were making whiskey and gin, each reflecting the terroir of its corner of the region.
Definition
Terroir
Terroir is the way a place — its soil, climate, and growing conditions — shapes the character of what is grown there. Hillrock builds its whiskey around the Hudson Valley’s local terroir.
Then came the 1930s. Prohibition forced those distilleries to shut their doors, and a wellspring of American spirits was left dry. Hillrock Estate Distillery is changing this, reviving the floor malting, pot distilling, and estate bottling that defined the region two centuries ago.
· ◆ ·
The General’s Rye
What is Hillrock’s George Washington Rye?
George Washington was responsible for creating one of the largest whiskey-making operations in 18th-century America, and Hillrock’s George Washington Rye is built directly on his original recipe. The spirit is un-aged, brimming with notes of fresh grain, peppery spice, and a touch of dried herbs. Each bottle contains a portion of whiskey made in Washington’s stills at the reconstructed distillery on the museum grounds in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Working from that recipe, Hillrock joined forces with Mount Vernon to expand production and distribution of the authentic 18th-century spirit, introducing “George Washington’s Rye Whiskey – Estate Edition” to New York. The special-edition un-aged whiskey is available in retail locations and at Hillrock’s distillery.
“The General’s whiskey has captured many hearts since the first batch created for the public in 2009.”
— Curt Viebranz, president of Mount Vernon
Viebranz framed the partnership as a matter of capacity. “We partnered with Hillrock because we simply can’t make enough of our product at George Washington’s Distillery to meet the demand. This allows us to offer a taste of our historic whiskey to a wider audience without fundamentally changing the historic character and the fascinating story that makes the product so unique.”
· ◆ ·
Visiting the Estate
Can you visit Hillrock Estate Distillery?
Sitting on a hilltop overlooking the distillery is an elegant 1806 Georgian house, originally built by a successful grain merchant and Revolutionary War captain. Baker found the home in Washington County, had it dismantled and transported to his 110-acre Columbia County farm, and meticulously restored it to its original structure.
His goal is to have the farm certified organic, part of his support of the farm-to-table movement that has taken hold in the Hudson Valley. At the time of the original article, Baker was also planning to make the distillery more visitor-friendly, with the ability to host 40-person dinners, an outdoor patio, and a tasting room.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hillrock Estate Distillery
🥃 Hillrock Estate Distillery at a Glance
Key facts about the distillery, its method, and its George Washington Rye.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | A 110-acre farm in Columbia County, in New York’s Hudson Valley. |
| Founder | Entrepreneur Jeff Baker. |
| Distilling | Founded by Master Distiller David Pickerell (1947–2018), formerly of Maker’s Mark; his recipes and field-to-glass methods define every bottle produced today. |
| Method | Field-to-glass: estate-grown grain, floor malted, copper pot still, oak aged, hand bottled. |
| Malt House | Believed to be the first floor-malting operation in the U.S. since Prohibition. |
| George Washington Rye | Un-aged rye from Washington’s original recipe; notes of fresh grain, peppery spice, and dried herbs. |
| Partnership | Made with Mount Vernon; each bottle contains whiskey distilled at Washington’s reconstructed Mount Vernon distillery. |
| Estate House | An 1806 Georgian home built by a grain merchant and Revolutionary War captain, relocated and restored on the farm. |
| Visiting | Planned 40-person dinners, an outdoor patio, and a tasting room (at time of original article). |
