Copper tells no lies. Drop into the eastern ridge of Seneca Lake on a gray upstate afternoon, the water below catching whatever light the sky offers, and you’ll understand immediately why Brian McKenzie chose this particular hillside in Schuyler County to build something meant to last. Finger Lakes Distilling — New York’s first standalone farm distillery — doesn’t announce itself the way big brands do. It earns your attention the old way: through the glass.
Two Men, One Vision, Zero Shortcuts
The story begins in 2007 at a craft distiller’s conference, where Brian McKenzie of Elmira, NY — a finance professional looking for a meaningful enterprise rooted in his home region — met Thomas Earl McKenzie of Monroeville, Alabama. The two men share no bloodline, but they share something rarer: an uncompromising philosophy about what spirits should be. Thomas Earl arrived with decades of knowledge as a winemaker, brewer, farmer, and distillery consultant. Brian arrived with the business acumen and a deep love for the Finger Lakes. Together, they built a distillery that would draw its identity entirely from the land beneath it.
There’s a parallel here I keep returning to — the way two unrelated people can discover they share the same creative DNA and build something neither could have made alone. I think about that sometimes in the context of my own journey: how the discipline of the diner taught me patience, how leather craft taught me that the unseen joint is what determines whether a briefcase survives twenty years or twenty months. What Brian and Thomas Earl built required both of those instincts — the financial pragmatism and the artisan’s obsession.
The Land Speaks First
As a New York State Farm Distillery, Finger Lakes Distilling is bound by something more than regulation — it’s bound by geography. The grains and fruits used in their spirits are locally sourced, meaning every bottle carries the mineral character of Finger Lakes soil, the temperature swings of upstate winters, the particular sweetness of McIntosh apples grown a few miles from the still house.
Their production infrastructure is built around two copper stills of serious pedigree. The first is a 350-gallon pot still with a 20-foot rectification column manufactured by the Holstein Company in Germany — the kind of equipment that signals long-term commitment, not a weekend hobby. The second is a 25-foot continuous still with a copper thumper, built by Vendome Copper & Brass Works in Louisville, Kentucky, traditionally reserved for whiskey production of real volume. This is not a vanity operation. This is a working distillery that happens to be beautiful.
The Portfolio: What They Make and Why It Matters
Finger Lakes Distilling produces across a full range of categories — whiskey, vodka, gin, brandy, grappa, and liqueurs — but their whiskeys are where the craft conversation gets serious.
McKenzie Bourbon and McKenzie Rye have become benchmarks for New York State whiskey. The bourbon follows the traditional path: new charred American oak, patient maturation, and in some expressions, a secondary finish in barrels sourced from local wineries — a crossover between the distillery’s world and the wine country that surrounds it. The rye has earned particular acclaim, its spice forward profile drawing comparisons to Kentucky and Pennsylvania classics while carrying the specific terroir of upstate New York.
Glen Thunder Corn Whiskey occupies a category that doesn’t get enough respect in the craft conversation — an unaged or lightly aged spirit that lets the raw grain character speak without the intermediary of wood. Corn whiskey done right is a study in restraint.
Seneca Drums Gin, named for the mysterious geological phenomenon that creates booming sounds on the lake, won the designation of New York’s Best Spirit — a recognition that speaks to the complexity and craft behind a botanical profile rooted in local ingredients.
Vintner’s Vodka takes the concept of terroir into the clear spirits category, distilling wine made from Finger Lakes grapes into a vodka that carries the subtle fruit character of its origin. It’s a logical idea executed with precision — and a testament to the creative thinking that distinguishes craft distilleries from industrial producers.
Their liqueurs are made the traditional way: real fruits soaked in spirit, no extracts, no synthetic flavoring. The cherry liqueur in particular has earned devoted following among visitors.
The Tasting Room: Where the Experience Becomes the Product
The tasting room at Finger Lakes Distilling sits directly above the production floor, separated by glass — a deliberate architectural choice that puts the process in plain view. You sip your McKenzie Rye while watching the very machinery that produced it. Transparency as design philosophy. Authenticity as architecture.
Flights and cocktails are available year-round. The bar program is serious, built around the house portfolio, and the seasonal cocktail menu reflects the same local-first ethos that governs the distillery itself. The space is dog-friendly, accessible, and staffed by people who genuinely know what they’re talking about — a combination that sounds simple but is rarer than it should be.
For visitors looking to go deeper, Finger Lakes Distilling offers guided tours, a Make Your Own Gin workshop (limited to groups of 1–8), and a Thief & Mallet Club membership program that includes access to barrel selections and exclusive releases. The gin workshop alone is worth a detour — participants build their own botanical blend, run it through the still, and leave with a bottle of something entirely their own. That’s not hospitality. That’s craft education.
Expansion: The Newfield Location
In late 2024, Finger Lakes Distilling expanded its footprint with a second location at 1143 Elmira Road in Newfield, nearly doubling the operational capacity of the enterprise. The Newfield facility serves as a tasting room, storage for barrels and finished goods, and will eventually house bottling operations — a strategic move that positions the distillery for the next phase of its growth without compromising the character of the original Burdett home base.
“This expansion nearly doubles our operational footprint,” Brian McKenzie noted at the time of the opening. The Newfield location is open Friday through Sunday and will expand its hours into the warmer seasons.
Why This Place Matters
New York’s craft distilling movement is now nearly two decades old, and Finger Lakes Distilling is its anchor institution. When Brian and Thomas Earl opened in 2007, there were almost no models to follow in the state. They had to build the path as they walked it — sourcing grain locally, educating a consumer base that barely knew New York could produce serious whiskey, and doing all of it from a hillside above Seneca Lake with two copper stills and a conviction that provenance matters.
Standing in that tasting room, looking out at the water, you feel something that’s hard to articulate but immediately recognizable to anyone who’s spent time around genuinely great things. It’s the absence of pretense. The work speaks. The landscape speaks. The glass in your hand speaks.
I’ve spent twenty-five years trying to build something that earns that kind of quiet confidence — a diner where the food tells the truth, a leather craft where every stitch is an argument against disposability. Finger Lakes Distilling does the same thing, just with copper stills and Finger Lakes grain instead of cast iron and sourdough starter. The philosophy is identical: find what’s real, source it honestly, make it with care, and let the quality be the only advertisement.
Finger Lakes Distilling 4676 NYS Route 414, Burdett, NY 14818 📞 (607) 546-5510 📧 info@fingerlakesdistilling.com 🌐 fingerlakesdistilling.com 🛒 Online Bottle Shop
Hours: Monday: 11 AM – 5 PM | Tuesday–Wednesday: Closed | Thursday: 11 AM – 5 PM | Friday–Saturday: 11 AM – 6 PM | Sunday: 11 AM – 5 PM
Second Location: 1143 Elmira Rd, Newfield, NY — Friday–Sunday, 1–8 PM
