Oct 10, 2022
2022 NYSTIA Annual Meeting attendees have a great offsite opportunity to join us on Wednesday, October 26, for a special itinerary visiting nationally and globally recognized attractions that highlight and remember the unique history, architecture, and culture of New York City! Priced separately, these experiences (admissions, cocktails, food, transportation) would cost upwards of $450 - but thanks to our generous Annual Meeting sponsors, your registration is only $145!
Register for the Experience NYC Offsite Excursion for a spectacular visit to Great Jones Distillery for an exclusive Distillery tour and whiskey tasting, networking over small bites, and an open bar featuring beer, wine, and cocktail selections! Details & Registration.
Whiskey is Back in Manhattan!
Great Jones Distilling Co. is bringing the craft of whiskey distillation back to Manhattan after nearly 100 years—a landmark moment for spirits and New York City History! Founded by Proximo spirits and the passionate vision of its owner, eleventh-generation spirits maker Juan Domingo Beckmann, the inspiration for the whiskeys and distillery itself was to highlight the best of New York. Thus, Great Jones Bourbons and Ryes were born from the belief that the best spirits should be the embodiment of their origins, threading the history of whiskey in New York to the present day.
The name Great Jones Distilling Co. pays homage to Great Jones Alley, an area known for its probation-era activity, and Great Jones Street, named after Samuel Jones in the late 1700s. During the renovation of the 82-year-old building, a secret tunnel was discovered, thought to be used to transport whiskey and other spirits under the streets of New York! Great Jones Bourbons and Ryes both use 100% New York-sourced ingredients, and all food within the bar and restaurant and products sold through retail will be primarily sourced from New York.
The Great Jones Distillery Experience:
Great Jones Distilling Co. is the only whiskey distillery in Manhattan, delivering an unmatched, multifunctional hospitality experience unlike any other in New York City. A feat of spirits engineering ingenuity and encompassing 28,000 square feet, Great Jones offers a working distillery producing Great Jones Bourbons and Rye, a restaurant, speakeasy bar, tasting room, and private event space.
Educational distillery tours are available, where guests can learn about the Great Jones Distillery whiskey-making process, see the distillation in action, and enjoy whiskey tastings. Discover what goes into Great Jones' whiskey and the unique Black Dirt region of NY with an experience built by artist and designer Sébastien Léon!
The Whiskey
Great Jones Whiskey is made from grains grown in the rich ebony soil of the Black Dirt region just two hours north of Manhattan in upstate New York. For the past five years, the Great Jones team has been distilling and aging whiskey in Upstate New York at its sister distillery, Black Dirt, in eager anticipation of opening the doors at Great Jones this summer.
Today, the whiskey is distilled at the distillery in New York City, and aged in new charred American Oak barrels upstate at its sister distillery, Black Dirt. Great Jones whiskies are smooth, balanced, and complex with a distinctive spiciness characteristic of the New York-grown grains from which they are made. More spice, less sweet: more New York.
Meet the Executive Chef & Head Distiller
Celena Perez
Head Distiller
Celina Perez is the Head Distiller at Great Jones Distilling Company where she manages spirit production including fermentations, distillation, barrel finishing, and new product development. Celina started as an assistant at the Dog Fish Head and Birra Baladin Microbrewery collaboration on the Eataly rooftop and now works on building and programming distillation systems and running a 6000 gallon fermentation capacity distillery in the heart of New York City. Originally from San Francisco, she has worked with big brands such as Widow Jane and Owney's and received awards for her work from the American Distilling Institute as well as being a speaker at their annual conference in 2013, among other distinctions in her field. Celina is a graduate from NYU with a Bachelor's in Science and has over nine years of experience working on all levels of distillation production from planning to construction to implementation and from grain to barrel to bottle.
Chef Adam Raksin
Executive Chef
Chef Adam Raksin is a rising star chef in the New York City scene. A native of Baltimore, Chef Raksin grew up in the kitchen. At 14, he began his professional culinary career as a prep cook for local upscale restaurant Linwood's. Over the last 15 years he has honed his skills in some of the nation's most prestigious kitchens. In 2008, he graduated from The Culinary Institute of America, moving onto notable restaurants such as Le Cirque, Adore, Benoit, and later Chicago's L2O (3 Michelin starts), Chef Thomas Keller's Per Se (3 Michelin stars) and Gunter Seeger NY (1 Michelin star). In 2016, Chef Raksin opened Metropolis Oyster Room and Bar as Executive Chef, where he constructed a highly curated seafood focused menu combining classic technique with innovative plating styles. Most recently he was the Executive Chef of Geoffrey Zakarian's The Lambs Club in the Chatwal Hotel, where he ran a luxury collection hotel and Forbes four-star property. Chef Raksin's culinary perspective can be best summed up as flavorful and direct.
REGISTER TODAY to attend the 2022 NYSTIA Annual Meeting & Tourism Excellence Awards and select the Experience NYC offsite when you register!
If you've already registered for the 2022 Annual Meeting, you can easily add the Experience NYC Offsite to your registration by clicking here.