Spy Trail Distillery Equipment Start up and Training

In the beginning of 2025, Spy Trail Distillery in Ronkonkoma, New York, had finished the assembly of their distilling equipment and was ready to start production. We spent several days with the folks at Spy Trail helping them get started. First, we tested all the equipment to ensure it was ready to make spirits. Once all equipment was tested and some issues sorted out, we were ready to distill. We started things off by distilling the very first batch of Vodka on their beautiful, German-built Holstein distilling equipment. This vodka was distilled from grape and turned out to be a fantastic spirit that showcases hints of the wine it came from. Our next big steps in production were to make some whiskey from scratch. The goal of our start was to make whiskey from grain to glass while at the distillery. Our first few days were spent bringing in grain and making mash. We made a bourbon and rye mash while there and got their mash cooker and fermenters all dialed in and working perfectly. Once we had completed a few mashes, it was time to wait. After waiting a few days for fermentation to complete, it was time to distill some whiskey. We distilled both the bourbon and rye over a few days and made enough whiskey to fill a couple of barrels.