Empire Rye
Part of a broader project with like-minded distillers throughout New York State, Kings County Empire Rye whiskey is our entry into a new rye whiskey category derived from New York’s whiskey heritage exclusively by and for New York distillers. Ours is made from 80% New York-grown Danko rye and 20% English barley malt and is aged at least 3 years in charred oak barrels. This is a potent entry into a much-loved category. With multiple superlative awards and warm commentary from traditional whiskey critics, this whiskey appears once a year and goes fast. It’s no surprise that this whiskey was named best rye whiskey at the 2023 Tales of the Cocktail.
Recent Awards
Tasting Notes
Pot Distilled
Traditional Techniques
Kings County embraces a variety of whiskey cultures and blends them into creative, distinctive whiskeys. We distill for quality over yield using true pot stills manufacturer in Scotland (Forsyths) and Kentucky (Vendome).
Mashbill
We source directly from farmers in NY and maltsters in the UK because we believe that good choices start from the very beginning. We source our grains locally in NY when we can because we believe distinctive ingredients make better whiskey. Here's a breakdown of what grains goes into making this product.
80% Rye
We source our rye from a local farmer in the Hudson Valley, and the variety or strain is called "Danko" rye - a hearty grain with roots in Poland. Our rye whiskey is perhaps most illustrative of the whiskey you might've found in New York pre-prohibition as rye was widely available and commonly used in whiskey production in the mid-Atlantic region, until it began to decline in the 1870s. Very few commercial ryes are made in the traditional way, and ours represents a rebirth of America's first whiskey style.
20% Malted Barley
Our grain comes from Thomas Fawcett Maltsters in the UK. Specifically, we use Golden Promise malted pale barley. Our high-malt mashbill borrows more from Scotch whiskey than traditional bourbons who typically add a flavoring grain such as rye or wheat.
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