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Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery has become New York’s first Fruit Distillery. We are currently producing apple and pear brandy’s (eau de vies) and developing a line of all natural fruit liqueurs. The process begins by crushing whole, ripe fruit and then fermenting the mash in stainless steel tanks. The next step is to transfer the fermented mash into our copper pot still. Once there, the fermented fruit is gently heated by steam, as opposed to direct flame, to slowly boil off the alcohol without compromising the delicate fruit aromas. The alcohol is then cooled in a stainless steel column where it reforms back to a liquid and is collected. The critical part to distillation is here. As the alcohol begins to boil off, three different groups of alcohols must be separated. They are known as the heads, hearts, and tails. The heads boil off first. They are easily identified by solvent or lacquer aromas, which remind one of nail polish remover. This group is totally unsuitable for drinking, and they are always discarded or sometimes used for cleaning the still. During the middle distillation run, the principal alcohol in all spirits, ethyl alcohol, is distilled. Also known as ethanol, this part of the distilling "run" is always saved and separated. This is what is desired and where the purest fruit aromas are found. The tails of the distillation include acetic acid and fusel oils, which are identified by unpleasant vinegary and vegetal aromas. They are also discarded. Because some ethanol is invariably part of the tails, however, they can be re-distilled. Fruit Brandies or eau de vies are typically considered a digestive or after dinner drink as they can aid in digestion. It is very common in France for a chef to offer his best customers a glass or a snifter of fine eau de vie with the check. In the United States, however, the gesture is less common but eau de vie is gaining popularity. It has become a staple in the kitchens of just about everyone who is serious about cooking. In addition, there are a wide variety of recipes for mixed drinks and cocktails using fruit brandies and liqueurs.
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