Widow Jane Distillery — Local services in New York

This is probably my fav distillery tour I have ever been on and I have been on my fair share! But, what really set this one apart from any of the others is that you not only get a great tour and tasting of the distillery and Widow Jane bourbon, but it includes a a tasting and behind the scenes tour of where the Dominican Criollo cacao for Prieto Cacao is processed and handmade!

First off, the repurposed bldg that the Distillery/Cacao factory and the attached 20th century bar are in are just gorgeous! When you pay the $20 for the tour and tasting, it includes a whiskey sour cocktail (that you can bring with you on the tour!) from their little cocktail bar Botanica next door.

Secondly, the history of how the distillery and chocolate factory came to be and the namesake of the Widow Jane bourbon is fantastic! Who doesn't love a great origin story?

Thirdly, Adam our tour guide and Pia our tasting guide were absolutely awesome! I really enjoyed Pia's enthusiasm about the different Widow Janes, especially the ones only available at the Distillery. They even created their own hybrid corn for their Baby Jane blend!

If you ever find yourself in Red Hook, Brooklyn or are just in NYC, this place is worth a visit! Whiskey and organic Dominican cacao were made for each other and this tour is time and money well spent!

They also have an open enclosed courtyard where they have free-roaming chickens!

It was such a great experience and I would do it again in...

The distillery is pretty cool itself and has a great story, however it is the tour that I would not advice anyone to spend their 20$ on. We decided to take the tour on a hot day, but that wasn’t an issue as it’s an indoor tour and pretty bearable. The tour guide, Chris, started the tour without any background and then stopped abruptly within a few minutes because he was too winded and he said the heat was getting to him. In the beginning, we felt sorry for his situation and that he had to give a tour on this hot day, but as the tour progressed his complaining whether it was about the heat or how the place was different that day kept escalating. His complaining and his attitude was really unprofessional and extremely off putting as all eight participants were also enduring the heat with him and not complaining! What’s was worse was that he did not know answers to most of our questions and then made fun of those who were asking the questions! I tried asking a few in the start and then he picked on me in sarcastic way when I did not have any. I really wished I could ask for a refund as we paid for 4 people and our 80$ could have been put to a way better use. My advice to the management is to find a better tour guide, who is pleasant and knows what he is...

I have to say that I am less than thrilled with my last experience at Widow Jane. We spend the early afternoon in the tasting room (bar) trying the various offerings. All in all, I believe we tried about 6-7 of their products. Having come from Pennsylvania, I have never had the opportunity to try/purchase either the Decadence or the Vaults, both turned out to be phenomenal pours. When we were finished, I approached the bar and ordered a couple of bottles to go, among them the Decadence and Vaults. He then proceeds to laugh at me and say there is a wait for the decadence and that I can’t have it. Inappropriate, right? Dumbfounded l, I just purchased the bottle of vaults and left with the group. Thinking back, this really was not an okay situation. First off, why have something on a bottle to-go price list if it’s not available. Second, why have something available for tasting that isn’t available for purchase. Both of these left a sour taste in my mouth and an ehhh feeling about Widow Jane. It’s a shame because their products are damn good, but if this is how their staff acts I’m not sure that I...