Waterman’s Distillery to hold grand opening celebration

Located in a restored, historic barn at 6172 Route 434 in Apalachin, the newest New York State Farm Distillery in the region will open its doors to ticket holders for their grand opening celebration on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The idea for Waterman Distillery began with the building, a German Bank barn that was originally intended to be a home for Waterman’s Distillery owners, Joe and Michelle Alig. 

Then the couple took a trip to Tennessee, visited distilleries, got excited, and started to dream about having their own craft beverage business. When they learned that the barn they had purchased had been part of the moonshine trail used by bootleggers during prohibition, it seemed like fate and they were ready to pull the trigger. With their minds made up and all signs pointing to go, Michelle and Joe began to renovate the barn and put together their equipment and products. 

Waterman’s Distillery currently produces “Grain Neutral” liquor that is triple distilled at 88 proof and flavored. As a certified New York State Farm Distillery, they use local grain and all natural flavoring, fruits, flavors and vegetables from local businesses whenever they can. They use Tioga County maple syrup in their Salted Caramel Maple, and the jalapeno peppers and ginger root for their Waterman’s 607 Jalapeno Ginger is chopped by hand. 

Waterman’s Distillery will host a two-day grand opening celebration on April 21 and 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can purchase tickets on their website, www.watermansdistillery.com. 

They will open with their regular hours the following week of Tuesday through Friday, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.