Klocke Estate's Bold Bet on New York Brandy
In Claverack, New York, a unique distillery named Klocke Estate opened its doors last summer, quickly becoming a destination not just for its promise of brandy, but for its dazzling restaurant. Perched on a hilltop with sprawling views of farmland, orchards, and vineyards, the restaurant, led by chef Becky Kempter, offers a luxurious dining experience. Yet, for the owners, the restaurant's beauty serves a singular purpose: to "set the table for our brandy."
This is a long game being played, as brandy isn't exactly flying off the shelves across the U.S. However, the founders are determined to establish New York brandy's place among the world's best, specifically aiming for "Cognac caliber." The region itself has a history with brandy, with Laird's Applejack in New Jersey, founded in 1780, being the very first distillery in the U.S. There are even records of brandy stills arriving in the northern Hudson Valley from Holland as early as 1638.
The director of farming and production explains that the Hudson Valley is uniquely suited for growing the specific cider apples and grapes needed for high-quality brandy, not necessarily for wine. Brandy grapes are harvested earlier, resulting in lower sugar content but higher concentration of flavor after distillation. This also provides the necessary structure for the brandy's long aging process, which can span from three to thirty years in French oak barrels.
One of the founders, inspired by his early finance career in Prague where he encountered brandy made from local plums and apricots, purchased the Claverack property in 2017 with his partner, an MIT graduate who designed a sustainable farming master plan. With help from a veteran distiller, Cornell University, and local farmers, they selected 43 organic cider apple varieties and nine organic white grapes perfectly suited to the Hudson Valley's climate. Planting began in 2020.
Despite challenges like fireblight, which has pushed apple growing south in the East, Klocke Estate is committed to organic farming. They use both traditional wisdom and modern technology, from monitoring weather digitally to introducing organic bacteria to fight diseases and even employing predatory birds to manage pests. So far, three successful grape harvests and one apple harvest have been pressed, fermented, and distilled in a copper Alembic Charentais still imported from Cognac.
The team understands that their finest brandies may not be tasted for decades, potentially long after the founders retire. Their investment is in enduring infrastructure and, crucially, in the dedicated people managing all aspects of brandy production.
While customers await the mature brandy, Klocke Estate offers a taste of their vision. The founders see their role as teachers and hosts, sharing their passion. Besides an impressive brandy library, they are also producing vermouth. Klocke currently sells their white vermouth and sweet red vermouths under the Brevis label, three ready-to-drink cocktails—an appletini, a brandy Manhattan, and a brandy Old-Fashioned—three eaux de vie, and what they call an unoaked brandy, or the Klocke Estate 00. Their customers will be able to taste the evolution of their brandy over the years, a theme reinforced by the brand's name, which draws inspiration from the Dutch word for clock, and product labels like Brevis (Latin for brief) and Flyback (a chronograph term for when a chronograph returns to zero).
During dinner service at Klocke, diners often catch magnificent sunsets. It quickly became a tradition for everyone to emerge onto the west-facing patio with their drinks for twenty minutes to stare toward the mountains where Rip Van Winkle mythically fell asleep for twenty years, across land that has fallen in and out of cultivation for generations. Often, the waitstaff and cooks join them, signaling there’s no need to rush.
