top of page
Guided tasting beside the stills at Fort Hamilton Distillery

Fort Hamilton Distillery: Brooklyn Rye, Bourbon and Visitor Guide

Writer: Filip Janczak
Filip Janczak
Oct 27
6 min read

Fort Hamilton brings a bartender’s perspective to rye whiskey, bourbon and a visitor distillery in Brooklyn’s Industry City. Its whiskies are selected, matured, blended and bottled under the Fort Hamilton name, with important production origins disclosed by its authorised distributor. Understanding those origins makes the range more interesting: Brooklyn is the home of the experience, while several key whiskies were distilled at Taconic in New York or MGP in Indiana.

Information checked on 27 October 2026.


At a glance

At a glance

Fort Hamilton Distillery

Country

United States

State

New York

City

Brooklyn

Address

68 34th Street, 2nd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Venue

Industry City

Business

Brooklyn Ace Distillers LLC

Founders

Alex Clark and Amy Grindeland

First barrelling

2016

Whisky model

External distillation, selection, maturation, blending and bottling

Visitor status

Current tasting room and tour booking


In this guide


  • Founders Alex Clark and Amy Grindeland built Fort Hamilton around rye whiskey and their hospitality experience, with barrelling beginning in 2016.

  • The current whiskies include Taconic-distilled New York single barrels and a Double Barrel Bourbon blending New York and Indiana spirit.

  • The Industry City venue offers tastings, cocktails and bookable tours. Check the exact experience and bottle availability before visiting.



A project shaped by bartending


Alex Clark and Amy Grindeland are the husband-and-wife founders identified on the producer’s team page. Their experience serving drinks helps explain a range that accommodates cocktails as well as individual-barrel tastings. The legal business named on the website is Brooklyn Ace Distillers LLC.


Clark’s first-person account places the first release in autumn 2017, after whisky had been laid down from 2016. He describes an early project using other distilleries’ equipment and licences, followed by the development of the Industry City premises. The historical Fort Hamilton name supplies the branding; it should not be read as a claim that the modern distillery has operated since the eighteenth century.


A Brooklyn home for the range


Fort Hamilton occupies the second floor at 68 34th Street in Industry City. The current visitor FAQ confirms elevator access from that entrance. This is an urban visit built around a working spirits venue, a tasting room and a saloon, rather than a rural warehouse trail.


The company’s Brooklyn identity includes maturation and bottle selection, but it does not identify the place of distillation for every whisky. That distinction matters when comparing labels: a producer’s address and the origin of the spirit can legitimately differ. The technical specifications below retain the named distillers where they are disclosed.


Read the distillation origin as well as the brand


Skurnik, the distributor linked by Fort Hamilton itself, identifies Taconic Distillery in Stanfordville as the distiller of Single Barrel Rye and Single Barrel Bourbon. The rye recipe is 90% rye and 10% malted barley, using grain from Migliorelli Farm in Tivoli. The bourbon has a separate 85% corn, 10% rye and 5% malted-barley recipe.


Double Barrel Bourbon is a blend of Taconic bourbon and MGP bourbon from Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Its component recipes differ: 70/25/5 corn, rye and malt for the New York whiskey, and 60/36/4 for the Indiana whiskey. Fort Hamilton’s own gin development and onsite distillery do not turn these disclosed whisky components into Brooklyn-distilled spirit.


Single barrels and a cocktail-oriented blend


The producer’s current Single Barrel Rye listing specifies six and a half years and 45% ABV. Skurnik’s broader technical listing gives a five-year minimum, so older descriptions should not override the current producer edition. Its documented maturation uses 30-gallon American oak with a No. 3 char.


Single Barrel Bourbon comes at 47.5% ABV. The current distributor specification gives at least five years in 30-gallon No. 3-char Cooper Select barrels. Double Barrel Bourbon is bottled at 46% and has a stated minimum of three years in 53-gallon barrels. These distinctions offer useful comparisons of recipe, selection and blending; the product names alone do not explain the whisky’s full origin.


  • Single Barrel Rye
  • Single Barrel Bourbon
  • Double Barrel Bourbon

The tasting descriptions below paraphrase the producer’s notes. They are not Whisky Clan tasting scores.


Single Barrel Rye


Style: New York straight rye whiskey, distilled at Taconic


Age: Current producer edition: 6.5 years


Strength: 45% ABV (90 US proof)


Cask or maturation: 30-gallon American oak, No. 3 char


Palate: Distributor’s combined profile: caramel and cherry with juniper, mint, lemon zest and white pepper.


Single Barrel Bourbon


Style: New York straight bourbon, distilled at Taconic


Age: At least 5 years, current technical specification


Strength: 47.5% ABV (95 US proof)


Cask or maturation: 30-gallon Cooper Select barrels, No. 3 char


Nose: Toasted pecan, sage and lemon peel.


Palate: Brioche crust, brown sugar and a saline edge.


Finish: Peppery greens, olive oil and salt.


Double Barrel Bourbon


Style: Blend of New York and Indiana straight bourbon whiskeys


Age: At least 3 years


Strength: 46% ABV (92 US proof)


Cask or maturation: 53-gallon barrels, No. 3 char


Nose: Cocoa, cardamom and turmeric with chocolate-coated apricot.


Palate: Green peppercorn, caramelised corn and orange zest.


Higher strength and Continental finishes


The current Cask Strength Rye is listed as six and a half years old at 58.5% ABV, or 117 US proof. Those numbers belong to that listed edition. They should not become permanent specifications for every future barrel-strength bottling.


The Continental Collection’s Armagnac-finished rye is a six-year whiskey made from 90% rye and 10% malted barley. Its producer description highlights plum, quince and dried fruit after time in Armagnac casks from southern France. A complete verified strength was not supplied in the reviewed text, so none is invented here. Limited releases are best checked by exact label and batch when buying.


Tours, tastings and a practical visit


The tour page describes guided tasting, an introduction to distilling history and a bottling-line experience. Read the selected ticket carefully to establish what is included on your date, particularly if taking home a personally bottled spirit is the main attraction.


The tasting room accepts walk-ins, while advance booking is recommended for tours. Groups larger than twelve are asked to contact the team ahead. Nonalcoholic drinks are available, and the current venue rules allow outside food. Opening hours and private-event access can change, so confirm the live arrangements before making a special journey.


These guides are suggestions for further reading. Check locations, travel distances and current bookings when planning a visit.


Reader poll

Answer four quick questions to see reader comparisons. No account or email is required.


Contribute an update

Have a correction, a distillery photograph you can share, or a tasting experience to add? Send it to Whisky Clan using the form below. You can also choose to receive the newsletter.


Frequently asked questions

No. Its authorised distributor identifies Taconic as the distiller of the featured New York single barrels, and MGP as a component source for Double Barrel Bourbon.

The producer lists the six-and-a-half-year edition at 45% ABV. The separate cask-strength edition is listed at 58.5% ABV.

No. The producer confirms a bourbon recipe of 85% corn, 10% rye and 5% malted barley.

Yes. The official tour page links to current bookings and describes guided tastings and a bottling experience. Check the selected ticket for its precise inclusions.


Sources and image credits


Comments

bottom of page