Kings County Distillery
“After the tour, we got to sample their 3 flavors (chocolate whiskey, moonshine & a standard whiskey) & purchase bottles.”
“I'm not a bourbon or whiskey expert, but I really enjoyed learning about the history of distilling the NYC area, especially Brooklyn.”
“The distillery is located in the navy yard by DUMBO south of Vinegar Hill in Brooklyn.”
Kings County Distillery
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
8 reviews
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I went here for a tour with a few friends. the staff was very friendly and the information was interesting. my only thing I would say is go when the weather is nice because there is a part where you spend a few minutes outside and I went on a cold windy day in the fall and kept getting whacked in the face by flying leaves. they have a little cat there and a free tasting at the end, totally check it out!
Came here for a tour of the distillery, what a great experience! I enjoy whiskey, and Kings County Distillery makes one of my favorites. One of the founders, David, led the tour. He provided us with some background history of how whiskey was traditionally made, especially in New York, and showed us their process of making whiskey. It was clear that he was passionate about whiskey, which made the tour even more special. Would definitely recommend coming here, it's only $8 and you get to try some of their whiskey as well at the end. (and you can buy some for your own collection)
This is such a random spot! Great day for good weather drinking, however it's a bit hard to find the entrance to. Their drinks are STRONG – much more than my liking, but hey, if you like whiskey!
Kings County Distillery is the oldest distillery in NYC and it's only 5 years old. It's in a very cool brick building in the middle of the Brooklyn Navy Yards. They offer tours on the hour for a cheap price and it's fascinating to learn the history of not only the distillery, but also the Brooklyn Navy Yards. At the end of the tour, you get to sample 4-5 of their whiskeys. All were good, but the very best is their Honey Whiskey distilled with actual honeycomb. You can only buy it there so be sure to stock up!
/TL;DR Great way to spend an afternoon. The distillery tour is informative and interesting. The pours at the end, while small, can't be beat for a $8 tour.
/ATMOSPHERE The distillery is in a renovated paymasters building. Rustic, old world, and haunted. 🙂
/FOOD This is quite literally the smoothest bourbon I've ever had. I brought some back for my brother-in-law who completely agreed. Make sure you get a bottle on your way out.
/SERVICE Very knowledge folks. Very accommodating. We got there 15 minutes early and got to meander around so don't feel like you can't head in early.
HOW TO READ MY REVIEWS:
1 Star – Does not approach edible. Enter at your own risk.
2 Stars – If I'm in the area, I'd pick something else.
3 Stars – I would stop by if I happen to be in the area.
4 Stars – I would pick this place out of other places nearby.
5 Stars – I would go out of my way to dine here.
Really cool setting/location. Nice outdoor seating areas and it feels like you're drinking at a fortress/castle. The whiskey is so-so in quality and price but that's fine cause it's still a cool place to hang out.
Had a great time getting drinks here before fly by night. We each had two different cocktails, Manhattan was on point and the mint julep (being southern woman) was great in flavor as well as presentation. Got an arrangement of snacks too, jerky and sweet pickles. We'll be back later this summer for sure!
I came here with my boyfriend and a friend a few months ago for the distillery tour. It's a small, rustic space with a medium sized grassy area with some picnic tables and such. The people working there are friendly and the tour was $8 each, which isn't bad at all. The top floor of the building is divided into three sections, the first being where they have whiskey and other items for sale, the second having some historical artifacts and benches for people to wait for tours, and the third where they have the whiskey in lots of barrels.
The tour started outside, where the guide told us about the history of whiskey in the US, which was super fascinating! It was basically a really great US history lesson, but the part you don't learn in school. The guide explained everything really well and in an interesting way. This was the best part of the tour for me, besides the fact that it was windy and cold. We then went inside to where they make the whiskey, and he explained the machinery and the history of Kings County Distillery. This is was interesting as well, but not as good to me as the history part. We then went upstairs to where the whiskey is stored and we heard about how they have one taster who goes in and tastes the whiskey, keeps track of the flavors in a notebook, and tells them when it's ready to be bottled up and sold. We also learned about the types of barrels they use and what makes whiskey different from other types of alcohol, etc.
At the end, we all got samples of 3 different types of whiskey. There were all pretty strong and I really didn't like the chocolate one. I like the design of their bottles though.
The experience was definitely worth the $8, and it was cool just to explore that part of town. There isn't much other reason to go down to the Navy Yards.