‘Tis the season for cocktails (okay, who are we kidding - that season is year round!), but we couldn’t let the holidays slip by without visiting the fine folks at Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery! We caught up with Matt Colucci, general manager and partner at Springbrook to hear more about how they got started, their process, and their plans to expand as they grow. And of course, a couple of cocktail recipes for your holiday parties, too! Cheers!
On launching Springbrook and the team:
Springbrook is mostly made up of friends and family and everyone involved has contributed significantly in different ways. Ownership includes Dave Bannon, Mike Forcier, Tony DeSantis, Ken Rohn, and myself. The initial stages were put into action over six years ago. Dave had an old horse barn and 200 acres of land, Mike had a chemistry and biology background and came up with our original processes, I specialize in sales and general management, and Tony deals with the Federal and New York State regulatory aspects of the business. Frankie Forcier is Mike’s sister and focuses on production as well as farmer’s markets and events. We have several great part time staff and a great full time sales person, Barb Lattoz, who helps with our sales downstate.
Frankie and Matt at Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery
On the distilling process:
Jeff Koehler is now our full time distiller and is from Maine originally. He relocated from the Finger Lakes and worked for a big winery called Montezuma that also was involved in distilling spirits. He’s a big hunter and outdoorsman, which drew him to the area. Mike Forcier was instrumental in creating many of the Springbrook products in the beginning. Mike then trained Jeff when he came on board about three and a half years ago, and Jeff still uses many of the procedures that Mike put into place, while adding his expertise along the way.
Jeff Koehler at Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery (photo courtesy of Springbrook)
As far as equipment, we have a beautiful copper still that was imported from a company in Germany called Kothe - they’re known for their unique construction and high quality.
On the aging process:
Our High Rye Bourbon has a mash of 56 parts corn, 32 rye, and 12 malted barley. We use 30 gallon barrels with a level three char and age them for over three and a half years. We age our Bourbon in a heavy char new oak barrel which offers the perfect balance of bold and sweet. On the nose, you get heavy carmel and hints of vanilla. The body gives flavors of oak and toffee, and the finish is long and rich with a balance between dry and sweet. All of our products have won several awards and one of our proudest moments was being recognized as one of the best distilleries in New York State by Fodor’s Travel Company.
On what makes Springbrook unique:
Springbrook really stands out due to the natural, unprocessed Adirondack spring water that goes into each bottle. Most distilleries need to strip their water since it’s not naturally a good fit for distilling. Our water is perfect for distilling - we don’t have to touch it. Our water source on the property used to supply water to the local settlers many years ago. In fact, we have the original wooden pipes on display in our tasting room!
We take pride in the uniqueness of our product as well. For example, our limoncello and orangecello are made with only the zest of the lemons and oranges (which we zest one by one and infuse with the vodka for 6 weeks) which results in half the sugar content of many other brands. Also, our gin is much more citrus forward than a typical gin, which we feel is more inviting to folks who wouldn’t typically be a fan of gin. Lastly, our apple and maple flavored moonshines are stronger in alcohol percentage than most flavored moonshines, and ours are flavored with local apples and maple!
We only use local, natural, high end ingredients and we don’t cut corners to cut costs like commercial brands. Every product is handcrafted, small batch by small batch.
On staying local:
We source just about all of our ingredients and raw materials from local and regional businesses. For example and to name a few: we use West Wind Ag out of Schaghticoke for our corn, rye, and mulled barley, our bottle labels are from Sheet Labels in Queensbury, our design work is done with Black Dog out of Glens Falls, our cold brew in our popular Cowboy Coffee comes from Kru in Saratoga Springs, our apple cider in our Apple Moonshine comes from Beak and Skiff in Syracuse, and our bottles come from Burch Bottle in Waterford. Our produce is sourced from companies like Glens Falls Produce, and we’ve used a barrel company out of the Utica area called Adirondack Cooperage for our barrels for years.
On the tasting experience:
We have a beautiful Adirondack style tasting room on site. We allow folks to sample our products and then receive a guided tour of our production area. You can also purchase a tasty specialty cocktail and sit outside (weather depending) and enjoy the beautiful views of French Mountain. The tasting room also offers other New York State wine and craft beer along with a gift shop.
On growth:
We’ve experienced a lot of growth recently! We’re currently distributing our product in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, and New Jersey, but our biggest point of distribution is New York’s Capital District. We expanded into Vermont about a month ago and since it’s state run, we’ve been placed in 40 stores across the state. We’re beginning to outgrow our space a bit and are currently planning on expanding our operation locally, both for production as well as to offer an enhanced experience for folks looking to sit and stay (and sip!) a while.
Dave Bannon, Ken Rohn, and Mike Forcier at Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery (photo courtesy of Springbrook)
On holiday cocktails:
The Orangecello Mimosa and the Christmas Cowboy are very popular! For the Orangecello Mimosa, just add a shot of our Orangecello to your champagne and top with orange juice. For the Christmas Cowboy, mix our Two Sisters Vodka and Cowboy Coffee with Eggnog - the perfect holiday drink. You can check out some other great recipes on our site here.
Out and about:
We’re keeping quite busy with local and regional events. We’ll be at The Shirt Factory Holiday Open House on December 14th and 15th, the Saratoga Farmers Market every Saturday, and of course, you can stop in and see us at the Distillery. Here’s a list of where else you can find us.
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Thanks, Matt! Can’t wait to whip up a few of those holiday cocktails. Cheers!
Please enjoy responsibly!
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