Widow Jane
Short overview of the distillery
Widow Jane is located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and combines purchased mature bourbon- and rye-mashes with weekly local distilling and hand-batching in small lots. The distillery's signature is mineral-rich limestone water from the Rosendale Mines, used to proof all bottles; the results range from lightly forward rye to richly aged bourbons and special finish releases.
History
The Red Hook collaboration and the push for local production
Widow Jane established itself as an active player in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where they both source and increasingly distill whiskey themselves. They source mature straight bourbon- and rye-mashes from several states, hand-assemble small-batch blends in Brooklyn, and distill weekly in their own facility in Red Hook. The company has continuously planned to move all production home to New York, but acknowledges that long aging means this transition will happen gradually.
Raw materials and production
For their heirloom variants, the mash starts in a 3,000-liter tank, where non-GMO Baby Jane corn together with malted rye and malted barley are cooked. After pitching yeast, fermentation takes place, and each fermentation is then transferred to the still, where it is distilled in batches of around 1,000 liters; the process uses steam injection and columns to refine the alcohol from low to high proof. The distillation output is filled into hydrated 53-gallon New American Oak barrels, which are charred, and aged in the distillery's rickhouse. When the whiskey reaches maturity, blends are assembled in hand-picked batches, bottled without cold filtration, and proofed with Rosendale limestone mineral water. The bottles are hand-numbered before release.
Maturation and barrel types
Base maturation occurs in charred 53-gallon New American Oak barrels, while special projects use finish barrels: Maple barrel finish for Decadence, Applewood finish for Apple Wood Aged Rye, Mizunara Oak in Black Opal, and air-dried Adirondack white oak in The Vaults 15-Year Release. These finish experiments are used to create differentiated limited releases and highlight a focus on local and unusual sourcing.
Whiskies
The range spans from core series like 10 Year Bourbon, Paradigm Rye, and Baby Jane Heirloom Bourbon to special releases and finish projects such as Decadence (Maple barrel), Apple Wood Aged Rye, Lucky Thirteen (13 years), as well as more exclusive bottles such as Black Opal (20 years, Mizunara) and The Vaults (15 years, Adirondack finish). Several of the bottles are presented as small-batch or limited-edition releases, and many have earned prizes in international competitions in 2023–2025.
| Whisky | Type / Series | Alcohol | Age | Barrel and Style | Flavor Profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Year Bourbon | Bourbon | 45.5 % | 10 years | Blend of mature bourbon mashes | Aged 10 years. Hand-picked blend of straight bourbons from several American states; non-chill-filtered and proofed with Rosendale limestone water. | Current; Core range |
| Borough Blend (Widow Jane 10 Year Borough Blend) | Bourbon | 45.5 % | 10 years | Widow Jane 10 Year Borough Blend — a New York signature release in the 10+ year category. | Current | |
| Baby Jane Bourbon | Bourbon; Heirloom Bourbon | 45.5 % | Heirloom Bourbon based on their own 'Baby Jane' proprietary corn; described as 'CREAMY-SPICINESS'. | Core range | ||
| Apple Wood Aged Rye | Rye Whiskey | 46.5 % | Applewood finish; finish: Applewood finish | Applewood Aged Rye, formulated around spicy and fruity elements; listed with several awards from 2023–2025. | Current; Core range | |
| Decadence | Bourbon | 45.5 % | 10 years | Maple barrel finish; finish: Maple barrel finish | Aged 10 years with a Maple Barrel finish; described as 'CREAMY-RICH' and has won multiple awards in 2023–2025. | Current |
| Lucky Thirteen | Bourbon; Small Batch | 46.5 % | 13 years | Aged 13 years, small-batch bourbon (93 proof / 46.5% ABV). Has won several awards in 2023–2025. | Current | |
| Paradigm Rye | Rye Whiskey | 46.5 % | Paradigm Rye (rye & barley) oaked; with multiple awards from 2023–2025, including World Whiskies Awards/Category Winner – Rye in 2024. | Current; Core range | ||
| Black Opal | Bourbon | 49.5 % | 20 years | Mizunara oak finish; finish: Mizunara oak | Aged 20 years. Presented as a luxury gift-set release with Mizunara oak elements. | |
| The Vaults (15 Year Bourbon) | Bourbon | 49.5 % | 15 years | Adirondack air-seasoned white oak finish; finish: Finish in a cask of 42-month air-dried Adirondack white oak | The Vaults is a limited release of older bourbons finished in casks made from air-dried Adirondack white oak; labeled "Old & Rare" in the 2025 release. | Limited; Limited (2025) |
| Tequila Ocho Cask Finish (10 Year) | Bourbon | 45.5 % | 10 years | Tequila Ocho cask finish; finish: Tequila Ocho cask finish | 10-year bourbon with a finish in Tequila Ocho casks; noted as limited edition. | Limited |
The whiskies’ style and flavor profile
From the fragments describing the products, a consistent style emerges marked by spice and fruit, complemented by a creamy, rich mouthfeel in certain editions. Apple Wood Aged Rye is explicitly highlighted for its spicy and fruity elements; Baby Jane and Decadence are described as creamy and rich, and the mature bourbon blends are built on classic American mashes. Taken together, the profile suggests that spice, fruitiness, and creamy sweetness recur across the range.
Visiting the distillery
Widow Jane welcomes the public for tours at their Red Hook facility on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Public tours cost $27 per person and are limited to a maximum of 10 participants; private weekday tours are available by request via email at $37 per person. The tour includes a visit to the rickhouse, a process overview, and a tasting flight consisting of 10 Year Old Bourbon, Paradigm Rye, and Apple Wood Rye. The distillery’s bar, Botanica at Widow Jane, is open to the public in the weekend evening hours; the bar’s outdoor seating allows pets, but pets are not allowed on tours.
The stated hours are Tours: Friday 16:00; Saturday & Sunday 13:00, 15:00 & 17:00. Botanica bar: Friday 17:00–22:00; Saturday & Sunday 14:00–22:00.
Philosophy and craft
Widow Jane emphasizes combining sourced mature American barrels with increased in-house distillation and local ingredients such as Baby Jane corn. A clear value is the use of Rosendale limestone mineral water as the signature ingredient for proofing, as well as artisanal choices such as non-chill filtration, hand-batching of batches, and bottle-numbering. Aiming to consolidate the entire production in New York is part of the long-term strategy.