History

Jersey Spirits Distilling Co. is a hyper-local small-batch distillery in Fairfield, NJ and a TRUE Craft Distillery, producing ultra-precise spirits entirely on site. The company was founded in 2013 and established in February 2014. The building where they are located was discovered in 2014 and brought into use in February 2015. Their federal license and state licenses were finalized in June 2015, and they officially opened their doors in August 2015. The family is owned and operated by two generations of distillers, with John's daughter Noël having risen to lead distiller and run the day-to-day operations, while John continues to develop new products and refine the processes. They produce the state's most comprehensive range of spirits and follow a full grain-to-glass approach under one roof.

The name and labels honor New Jersey and are inspired by places and experiences in the state. They collaborate with a local New Jersey artist for the label design. In addition to production, they offer tours, tastings, craft cocktails, and bottled sales in their Tasting Room, and they are active at farmers' markets to bring the experience to visitors. They emphasize that they produce everything in-house and do not buy spirits from other producers, and that they handle the entire process from mashing to bottling under one roof.

The distillery states that they are a hyper-local producer and describe themselves as actively operating five days a week with a capacity of under 400 gallons of distillation equipment and around 2,000 gallons of fermentation. This underscores their claim of being a fully in-house production in Fairfield, and that production is continually visible to visitors within a living facility (tanks, stills, bottling, etc.).

They offer a wide range of products including bourbon varieties and Jersey Hooch (a seasonal, low-alcohol spirit). They also work with other types of spirits such as gin, Hopmanic, and flavored vodkas and continuously develop new flavor experiences— all produced in-house and without external spirits.

Jersey Spirits participates in events such as barrel share programs and other gift ideas, and aims to share their experience and craft through these offerings.

Jersey Hooch

Jersey Hooch is a seasonal, low-proof spirit (about 20%) based on freshly produced fruits and other ingredients from New Jersey. It is unfiltered and may be cloudy, due to unfiltered plant particles moving forward in the bottle. It should be stored cold after opening and should be enjoyed within about 6 months. Flavor variants include, among others, Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Holiday Nip, Cherry Smash, Bug Juice, Wedding Day, Summer Tea, Beach Tea, and PB&J Sandwich (a collaboration with Melovino Meadery). PB&J Sandwich was launched as a new seasonal variant and shows that Jersey Spirits uses collaborations and locally produced ingredients.

NJ BOURBON

Jersey Spirits produces bourbon-style products under names like Crossroads Bourbon Whiskey and Patriot's Trail Bourbon. They claim to be among the first to create bourbon in New Jersey under modern craft regulations and describe Patriots Trail as a silver medal-winner in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as one of the best whiskeys in New Jersey according to liquor.com. They describe how bourbon should be made and claim to be a full grain-to-glass facility without sourcing spirits from outside.

Flavoured Spirits and Other Products

In addition to Bourbon and Jersey Hooch they produce gin, Hopmanic, and a range of flavored vodkas. They emphasize flavor development and balance by selecting raw materials, a mash bill, and yeast, before tailoring the distillation process to ensure a smooth and complex character.

Production / Manufacturing

Jersey Spirits describes themselves as a small-batch grain-to-glass local producer where all mashing, fermentation, distillation, aging, blending, and bottling take place in-house in Fairfield by their own staff. They do not use spirits from other producers and source raw materials from New Jersey farms as well as from NY and PA. Some raw materials such as sugarcane in the form of molasses are used because these are not grown in NJ. Production runs 5-6 days per week and consists of a stills-package of around 400 gallons and a fermentation capacity of around 2,000 gallons.

According to their descriptions, distillation is not about producing alcohol; the art is to separate alcohol from water and other materials and to develop flavor. They are proud to be from raw material to finished product and emphasize that they do not participate in manufacturing finished spirits for other producers. Visitors to the production will be able to observe the process in the tanks and in the stills, and the company describes itself as a continuously operating facility.

They also collaborate with other producers, such as breweries, meaderies, or cideries, for limited edition spirits when produced in partner facilities, but they provide full transparency that all mainstream products are made in-house.

Products / Whisky Series

Jersey Spirits produces bourbon variants such as Crossroads Bourbon Whiskey and Patriot's Trail Bourbon, and they point out that bourbon can be produced in any American state under the current bourbon rules. They describe the process to ensure genuine bourbon quality, and emphasize that they do not buy spirits from outside but produce the entire project in-house from grain to bottle.

Their spirits label includes Jersey Hooch, which is seasonal and focuses on fresh NJ fruits and local production, and which uses an unfiltered base spirit. They also showcase other products such as gin, Hopmanic, and flavored vodkas, which are also part of their large, creative spirits lineup.

Visits / Experiences

Jersey Spirits offers tours and tastings in their Tasting Room, as well as the option to enjoy craft cocktails and purchase bottles in the shop. According to their information, you cannot buy food on-site, but you may bring food or order from a local restaurant. They also offer classes in infusions and cocktail craft, and encourage customers to inquire about Barrel Share programs and unique gift ideas. Their facility and production are open to the public, with a focus on educating and engaging guests in the craft behind the work.

Philosophy

TRUE Craft Distillery is a central part of Jersey Spirits’ identity. TRUE is an acronym for Taste, Real, Unique, and Educate. They explain that they only use real ingredients without colorings or flavors from artificial or natural chemicals, and that all flavor comes from real botanicals, fruits, or crops. They want to be unique and stand out from the crowd by using a combination of art and science in developing products and processes and through their educational approach, which includes tours and other experiences to broaden customers’ understanding and tasting experience.

Jersey Spirits emphasizes that they are a full-scale grain-to-glass development house, not merely following conventions, but creating their own methods and experiences to achieve complex, smooth, and interesting spirits that reflect their home NJ spirit and craftsmanship.