Production places
Connections to water sources, peat places, maltings, cooperages, warehouses and maturation sites. Uncertain connections are labelled.
No documented production places are linked to this distillery yet.
Clayton Distillery
Overview
Clayton Distillery is a farm-based microdistillery in the Thousand Islands in northern New York, established in 2012 and opened in April 2013. The distillery produces a wide range of spirits—from the clean Flagship Vodka and Shoal Finder Gin to unaged corn whisky, NY Straight Bourbon, and a range of flavored moonshines and liqueurs—with everything distilled, blended and bottled on-site under the motto "Homegrown. Handcrafted."
History
Founder Mike Aubertine grew up on a family-owned farm in Cape Vincent, where grain was previously grown and later formed part of the distillery's raw material base. In 2012 he sold his stake in his architectural firm and started the Clayton Distillery; the project broke ground in July 2012 and culminated in an official opening in April 2013. In the first season the distillery produced vodka and unaged corn whisky; the range has since expanded to gin, straight bourbon, flavored whiskies, moonshines, limoncello and several liqueurs. Since opening, the site has maintained a practical, experimental approach where recipes and processes are adjusted batch by batch.
Raw Materials and Production
The raw materials are primarily based on a bourbon mash (typically 83% corn, 11% rye, 6% malted barley). Early inputs came from a family-owned farm; today corn is purchased from local farmers in the Watertown area, and malted barley is bought locally or nationally as needed. Distillation takes place in a 250-gallon copper pot still custom-built by Vendome for batch distillation, a 16' stainless steel reflux column for vodka, and a hybrid pot still for bourbon. Many mash-based products are double-distilled; vodka runs in the column can take 20–24 hours per batch, and base spirits are produced as high-proof grain-neutral spirit, which is carbon-filtered and blended with reverse osmosis water before bottling. All blending, distillation and bottling take place on-site.
Maturation and Barrel Types
Clayton uses both new medium-charred white oak barrels for bourbon and new toasted white oak barrels for their Bottled in Bond Corn Whisky, as well as used bourbon barrels for certain flavored products. NY Straight Bourbon is typically aged 4–5 years in medium-charred barrels, Thousand Islands Maple is aged 5–7 years in used bourbon barrels, and Bottled in Bond is aged 7 years in new toasted barrels. The distillery occasionally does single-barrel releases bottled at barrel strength and aged 6–8 years.
Whiskies
The range spans from neutral base products such as Flagship Vodka and 191 proof grain-neutral spirit, via Shoal Finder Gin (standard and Navy Strength), to moonshines and flavored variants such as Lemonade, Cherry, Apple Pie and Peach Vanilla. On the whisky front there are NY Straight Bourbon, Bottled in Bond Corn Whisky, and flavored whiskies such as Thousand Islands Maple and Heatwave Cinnamon. The products are sold in the distillery's own shop, and some variants are distributed locally in Central and Western New York.
| Whisky | Type / Series | Alcohol | Age | Barrel Type & Style | Tasting Notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flagship Vodka | Vodka | 40 % | The distillery's first spirit from 2013; finished to 191 proof grain-neutral spirit and then diluted to bottle strength. Tasting: produced in 20–24 hour runs in a 16' stainless column; carbon-filtered and blended with reverse osmosis water for a clean finish. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Shoal Finder Gin | Gin | 44 % | A London Dry 'Gin Lovers Gin' made from grain-neutral spirit, carbon-filtered and stored in stainless steel for about 5 weeks before filtration and bottling. Tasting: London Dry style with a strong juniper profile; juniper and coriander added 24 hours before third distillation, followed by pot distillation to 150 proof and short storage in stainless steel. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Shoal Finder Gin - Navy Strength Gin | Gin | 57.5 % | Navy Strength version of Shoal Finder with the same production method as the standard version, bottled at a higher proof. Tasting: Stronger version of Shoal Finder with the same botanical profile and more pronounced juniper. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Two Dog Moonshine | Corn Whisky (Moonshine) | 46 % | Unaged | Technically classified as corn whisky, made on a bourbon mash and double-distilled for a smooth finish. Tasting: Double-distilled to 155 proof with very tight cuts for a smooth, sweet "white dog" whisky. | Current; Core Range | |
| NY Straight Bourbon Whisky | Straight Bourbon | 46 % | 4-5 years | Medium charred new white oak barrels | Bourbon made from an 83/11/6 mash, double-distilled on a hybrid pot still to just under 160 proof, aged 4–5 years in medium-charred new white oak barrels. The product notes mention butterscotch, vanilla, caramel & chocolate as characteristic notes. | Current; Core Range |
| Bottled in Bond Corn Whisky | Corn Whisky | 50 % | 7 years | New toasted white oak barrels | Distilled from bourbon mash and aged 7 years in new toasted white oak barrels; not chill-filtered. Product notes highlight a dominant butterscotch aroma when a few drops of water are added. | Current; Core Range |
| Thousand Islands Maple Whisky | Flavoured Whisky | 40 % | 5-7 years | Used bourbon barrels | Maple-flavored whisky, double-distilled to 175 proof, aged 5–7 years in used bourbon barrels and then infused with local maple syrup. Tasting: Infused with pure local maple syrup on top of a bourbon base. | Current; Core Range |
| Heatwave Cinnamon Whisky | Flavoured Whisky | 40 % | 5-6 years | Used bourbon barrels | Cinnamon variant made by infusing finished aged whisky with cinnamon; double-distilled and aged 5–6 years in used bourbon barrels. Tasting: Infused with cinnamon sticks for several days and sweetened with homemade simple syrup for a subtle cinnamon character. | Current; Core Range |
| Limoncello | Liqueur | 24 % | Stainless steel barrel (steeping) | Hand-peeled limoncello where about 2,000 lemons are used to extract zest oil in a long steeping period. Tasting: Light and refreshing; lemon zest steeps in 191 proof spirit for at least 90 days before filtration and addition of simple syrup. | Current; Core Range | |
| Raspberry Liqueur | Liqueur | 22.5 % | Sweet raspberry liqueur, suitable over ice or in cocktails. Tasting: Fruity and sweet; customers describe the flavor as close to raspberry jam. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Maple Strawberry Liqueur | Liqueur | 22.5 % | Liqueur inspired by traditions of fresh strawberries and maple syrup; also recommended over ice or on pancakes. Tasting: Combination of strawberry and maple-inspired flavor. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Peach Vanilla Shine | Flavoured Moonshine | 24 % | Sweet summer shine, suitable in drinks or over vanilla ice cream. Tasting: Low-proof shine with a clear peach- and vanilla-character. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Lemonade Shine - 48 Proof | Flavoured Moonshine | 24 % | 48 proof version of lemonade shine, which the product page states is planned to be phased out. Tasting: Low-proof lemonade variant, often mixed with iced tea or seltzer. | Discontinued; Core Range | ||
| Lemonade Shine - 101 Proof | Flavoured Moonshine | 50.5 % | 101 proof version of lemonade shine, often used in cocktails or mixed with soda. Tasting: Higher-proof lemonade variant; suitable for mixing. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Cherry Shine | Flavoured Moonshine | 50.5 % | Cherry-flavored shine with real cherry flavor, good to mix with lemonade or cola. Tasting: Genuine cherry flavor without maraschino sweetness. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Apple Pie Shine | Flavoured Moonshine | 50.5 % | American classic in shine form; recommended mixed with apple cider or ginger ale. Tasting: Spiced apple pie profile. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Garlic Flavored Vodka | Flavoured Vodka | 40 % | Savoury vodka, carbon-filtered and infused with fresh garlic; also used in a specially made vodka sauce. Tasting: Infused with fresh crushed garlic for 2–4 days; flavor strength tested by staff. | Current; Core Range | ||
| Admiral's Berry Flavored Vodka | Flavoured Vodka | 40 % | Berry-flavored vodka, diluted and carbon-filtered, then distilled a third time after adding juices. Tasting: Subtle berry profile from NY-produced strawberry, blueberry and raspberry juice; no added sugar. | Current; Core Range |
The Whiskies' Style and Flavor Profile
Across the range, three clear directions recur: barrel-influenced sweet notes (butterscotch, vanilla and caramel) in the aged bourbon and corn whiskies, a pronounced fruity sweetness in liqueurs and flavored vodkas (strawberry, raspberry, cherry and lemon/limoncello) and spicy elements such as cinnamon in Heatwave Cinnamon. These directions appear across several products and reflect both barrel choices and infusions with local ingredients.
Visiting the Distillery
The distillery is a visitor-friendly site where guests can purchase tasting flights or drinks made from the on-site spirits and shop in the accompanying retail store. Some of the products are also available in local liquor stores in Central and Western New York. The site is pet-friendly, and for certain shipping inquiries Arsenal Wine & Liquor in Watertown is named as a contact point.
Philosophy and Craft
Clayton Distillery operates under the motto 'Homegrown. Handcrafted.' by prioritizing local ingredients and performing distillation, blending and bottling on-site. The facility is designed with sustainability in mind under LEED principles, including reusing waste heat and re-distribution of stillage as animal feed.
Sustainability
The facility is designed according to LEED principles with passive solar heating/cooling solutions, high insulation and energy-efficient systems.
Waste heat from distillation is used for heating and domestic hot water.
Stillage is pumped to local farmers and reused as animal feed.