Allen Katz opened New York Distilling Company in Brooklyn with co-founders Tom and Bill Potter in 2013, forging the modern face of New York City’s distilling scene. Initially launching with two American-style gins, Katz would go on to create award-winning rye whiskey with a historic connection.
“We were fortunate when we started the business and developed some key relationships with local farmers, specifically with Rick Pedersen. Rick and his family are organic vegetable growers in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. We needed someone to grow grain for us. It was paramount for us to be distillers and to distill our products. There is some joy in not just making the whiskey but also the process of discovering grains and growing grains, mashing, fermenting, blending, and aging whiskey. And for the latter, you can’t focus on blending
