At Saint Lawrence Spirits Distillery, father and son distillers, Jody and Bill Garrett are passionate about providing quality small batch craft spirits with local roots.
Locally Sourced Ingredients from New York State Farms
We love to help support the local community, and that’s why 100% of grains used to make our Moonshine, Whiskey, & Bourbon are sourced from New York State Farms, and 90% of our ingredients from right here in Jefferson County! In fact, many of our ingredients come from our family farm, Lucky Star Ranch. It was found that the Ranch Estate has a wide variety of natural habitat, and many unique botanicals were discovered on the property. These are used in the production of our handcrafted spirits, such as Gin. At the ranch, we also grow 40 acres of corn, and partner with local farmers who assist with our corn harvest. In 2018, more than 186,000 pounds of corn was harvested for crafting our award-winning spirits.
Connecting the Ranch to the River
Once the corn and raw materials are harvested, the spirit creation begins. The grains are milled and transferred to the Distillery where they are cooked down for several hours. After a few hours of cooling, the grains (mash) are transferred to one of our eight fermentation tanks, where yeast is added to convert the sugar to alcohol. After approximately five days, the mash is transferred to our 500-gallon Vendome Copper Pot Still (which was designed especially for Saint Lawrence Spirits production goals of our maximum capacity of 75,000 proof gallons annually). After the mash is distilled (what is called the stripping run), the spent mash is separated from the alcohol and collected. From there, we use purified Saint Lawrence River water to proof down our spirits, providing the Spirit of the River in Every Bottle®. Our clear spirits are immediately bottled and packaged in-house, while our Bourbons and Whiskeys are stored in 35-gallon charred American White Oak barrels from Michigan for a couple years, until aged to perfection.
Lucky Cows at Lucky Star Ranch
But the process doesn’t end there! The spent mash produced after distillation is an important part of the Saint Lawrence Spirits Distillery process, as well. While some may think of it as waste, the leftover mash is actually perfect for feeding livestock. In fact, using mash as livestock feed has created the perfect symbiotic relationship between farmers and distillers, boosting local agriculture for generations. All the spent mash from Saint Lawrence Spirits Distillery helps feed the 40+ head of Angus cattle each day at Lucky Star Ranch, right down the street in Chaumont, New York.
Growing the Local Community
The Garrett’s opened Lucky Star Ranch in 2006 and have said that “There are two things our family has truly fallen in love with over the years: The Ranch and The River. So we have bottled them up and want to share them with you.” In 2016, they opened the Saint Lawrence Spirit Distillery, followed with the opening of Saint Lawrence Spirits Chateau in 2017. The Chateau is a meticulously renovated & historic Manor, originally built in 1937, which is now home to the exquisite Farm-to-Table restaurant and boutique hotel. The restaurant purchases angus beef and wild game from the family ranch, allowing everything to come full circle from “Still to Grill”. Through owning the Distillery, Chateau, and Lucky Star Ranch, the Garrett’s are able to give back to the local community and share with others all the things they love the most.
