Hillrock Estate Distillery — Attraction in Town of Ancram

So having done a dinner pairing with their products as a first exposure at buttermilk falls catered by Henry's at the farm it was a great experience. The food was great and the offerings were well paired. We followed that up with one of their tours a couple of months later. A bit pricey to be honest but again the offerings were pretty damn good. We bought three of their bottles. These sit in good stead next to the likes of the Macallan 18 and the Balvine 21. Do they bring the same refinement, my answer is not YET. They are doing some very interesting things here including a single malt that is peat smoked! The single malt is stunning for an American production. We have one and will be adding the cask strength the next time I don't miss it! I will be honest here, they are zeroing in on the Scottish offerings and I suspect they will be there sooner than later. They only started in 2011. They offer a bunch of barrel finishes including Oloroso and Port. Some special offerings are even cask strength! We did their recent Solara bourbon deconstructed and I have to say, OUT-Fing-STANDING! This provides the enthusiast with allot of insight into where their excellent bourbon comes from and just how it is built. In addition you also are blessed with cask strength tastings of a number of their other offerings at various points in their maturation including finish. To top it all off they provided local cheeses from a farm with cattle fed with the left over grains of the beer used to produce the various stocks. It was really a fantastic experience. In this case I would not let the price dissuade you at all, they more than delivered and I am literally giddy at the conclusion. One more thing, they never rushed anyone out. They spent the time and it was a great tasting. Everyone enjoyed the experience. Lastly, their knowledge of the product was literally near encyclopedic. I can't recommend this place enough. They have some fantastic offerings right now and if the tastings I enjoyed are any indication of what is to come you like I will be stunned. We will be...

My cousin and I came to Hillrock with our girlfriends for a tour and tasting which was absolutely incredible. We have tasted hundreds of whiskeys before and been to tasting experiences but never had Hillrock whiskey before. Hillrock was easily the number one tasting experience we have been to. Upon arrival we were enthusiastically greeted by Omar making us feel right at home even though we showed up 15 minutes late to our scheduled time. As Omar brought us through the tour it was obvious he has a passion for whiskey and is extremely knowledgeable on the subject as well as the history of Hillrock Distillery. Stepping into the rickhouse was my favorite experience as you get hit with the magnificent scent of whiskey ageing in barrels. Omar brought us through the Solera aging process which is basically the ultimate infinity barrel. After that, We stepped inside the malt house where we were greeted with the aroma of malted barley being raked. We made our way over to the Vendomme Copper Hybrid Still, saw the fermentation process, and even tasted the white dog distillate. The hearts of the Hillrock distillate was the cleanest tasting distillate I've had the pleasure to taste, I wish I had a glass of that during the actual tasting experience later on. Finally our tour concluded with the part we were all waiting for. The tasting experience. We entered the main room to a perfectly set table, polished glasses, and a charcuterie board which did not dissappoint. My cousin and I got the barrel proof tasting which I'm glad we did. As I nosed the first glass of Barrel Proof Solera Aged Bourbon Cognac Cask Finish my mind took me right back to the rickhouse, it was the exact scent that was coming off of the aging barrels. Each and every whiskey we tasted was absolutely incredible. Hillrock Estate Distillery was a true grain to glass experience that was entirely made better by the knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide Omar that took us through the tour. We...

Totally recommend a visit! I’ve never done anything like this before. The property is gorgeous and the buildings have a historic feel. Our guide Danny was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions.

I’ve been on tours where things are staged just for the tour. This wasn’t the case. We got to see the actual processes in action and actually saw the staff and owners actively working as we passed through. Our tour concluded with a tasting. There was an option to purchase tastings with charcuterie and a high proof bourbon. We did the basic tasting and were very happy with it. For $28 per person it included 3 bourbons, 1 rye, 1 single malt; and light mix of almonds, craisins, dried peaches, and crackers.

My boyfriend and I expected we’d go home with a bottle of bourbon, but ended up liking the rye the best and purchased a bottle!

The only critique I have is that the website is tough to use on a mobile device. With some trial and error I was able to figure it out and make a booking.

This place is a must do for anyone visiting the...