Hillrock Peated Single Malt Whiskey

About Hillrock

In the early 1800's, the State of New York was responsible for the production of more than half of the barley and rye harvested in the United States. The Hudson Valley, which extends from New York City northward through Albany, was the country's original breadbasket and was home to thousands of farms, hundreds of which distilled the excess grains they harvested into whiskey. In the 1930s, the onset of Prohibition forced these farmers to abandon their stills.

Today, in a 19th-century Georgian mansion situated in the heart of the Hudson Valley, Master Distiller Dave Pickerell pays homage to the New York farmers who produced their whiskey from grains to glass. Pickerell, who graduated from West Point with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, served in the military for 11 years as a cavalry officer before receiving his Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville. Pickerell then served as Master Distiller as Maker's Mark in Loretto, Kentucky for 13 years. There, he was responsible for ensuring the quality and consistency of Maker's Mark Bourbon. A former chairman of the Kentucky Distillers Association and a member of the Distilled Spirits Council, Pickerell is an expert nonpareil in the production of whiskey.