Hudson Whiskey’s high-corn Bourbon with a sweet profile at a perfect 46% ABV.

Hudson Whiskey came into being by accident. Back in 2001, Ralph Erenzo purchased an old grist mill and the surrounding property because of some nearby rocky cliffs. His plan was to create a climber’s ranch where vacationers could come to practice rock-climbing. This didn’t sit well with the neighbors. He looked around and saw farms producing grain, a mill for processing it, access to plentiful water from a limestone aquifer, and the right zoning already in place. Fate made him pivot to Whiskey, becoming the first new distillery in New York State since Prohibition. Twenty years and a bunch of awards later, Ralph and his partners are pretty happy with the results and you will be too.

Hudson Whiskey just updated their core lineup and design — the bottles and labels are now slick and modern but the Whiskey is still old-school. Hudson Whiskey NY Bright Lights Big Bourbon is brilliantly high-corn with a mash bill of 95% corn and 5% malted barley. It’s aged for a minimum of three years in new oak and bottled at the perfect ABV — which regular readers will recognize as 46%. And that means you’ll find a warm dram that leans to the sweet, caramel side.