The Rye Revival, from the city where it all began. The Jaywalk Distillery is New York Distilling Company’s Bushwick home — a working distillery, a tasting room reimagined as Jaywalker, and the headquarters of a thirteen-year campaign to bring a lost American grain back from ten seeds.
See it in motion
The New York comeback story
Allen Katz and Tom Potter built New York Distilling Company — with Bill Potter running the stills — to do one specific thing: help bring back rye whiskey — one of America’s oldest spirits — in the city where it was once made.
That led them to Horton Rye, a 17th-century New York variety that had disappeared from fields centuries ago. Through a seed bank and a New York farmer, the team started with ten seeds. Would it grow under modern conditions? Was it viable at scale? Would the flavor justify the work? After more than thirteen years of testing and refinement, the answer to each was yes.
Jaywalk now oversees an annual harvest of 200 acres of Horton Rye in the Finger Lakes, distilled and aged in New York. The whiskey is rare and distinct.
From barrel to bottle
We’re fortunate to have built up an inventory of mature whiskey from which we can choose barrels. Our distilling team — led by Chief Blender & Distiller Bill Potter — tastes through mature barrels aging in rickhouses upstate, compares notes, and decides whether a barrel is destined for a Single Barrel release, a branded blend, or more time in the dark.
“Jaywalk Rye is robust and complex… not merely spicy like many ryes.”
— Robert Simonson
Our mission
- Honor and reclaim rye’s New York roots.
- Celebrate its distinct characteristics.
- Extract and enjoy rye’s flavor through attention to every detail.
New York Distilling Co.
Meet Bernadette
The purpose-built, copper-domed beauty at the distilling heart of what we do. She refines our spirits with an exacting standard that knows no quit, and never complains about the music.
Drop by this weekend to taste the fruits of her labor — her Martini might just be the best in Brooklyn.
Come see it
Tour the distillery — 60 minutes, a guided tasting of all three Jaywalk Rye expressions, and a discount on the bottle you’ll want after. Or just come drink where it’s made: Jaywalker pours the whole portfolio Thursday through Sunday, and the calendar runs weekly.
The event space
A fully flexible 3,000-square-foot space with a 370-person capacity — a white canvas or a bespoke distillery feel, for intimate dinners, weddings, photo shoots, pop-up markets, and company offsites. Inquiries: info@nydistilling.com.