Widow Jane Distillery sits in a converted 1920s warehouse in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood, where founders Daniel Preston and Lisa Wicker started distilling in 2012 after years of sourcing and blending aged whiskeys. The operation began when Preston, a former pharmaceutical executive, and Wicker, who has a background in spirits marketing, decided to move beyond just bottling sourced whiskey to actually making their own. The 10,000-square-foot facility houses custom copper pot stills and serves as both production space and tasting room, with exposed brick walls and industrial fixtures that honor the building’s warehouse roots. They’re known for their straight bourbons, rye whiskeys, and an apple wood-aged rye that’s become something of a signature. The Widow Jane name comes from a limestone mine in Rosendale, New York, where they source the mineral-rich water used in their whiskey production. Preston and Wicker spent years perfecting their blending techniques before taking the leap into distilling, and master distiller Sienna Jevremov joined the team to oversee production. The company started as a way to create distinctly New York whiskeys, using local ingredients when possible and aging in the fluctuating temperatures of Brooklyn’s climate. They’ve grown from a small blending operation to a full production distillery that’s helped establish Red Hook as a legitimate spirits destination. Visitors get to see the entire production process, from milling corn and wheat to bottling, all under one roof. The tasting room overlooks the production floor through large windows, so you’re watching whiskey being made while you’re drinking it. The space feels authentically industrial rather than polished—concrete floors, metal beams, and the constant hum of production equipment. Tours include tastings of their core lineup plus occasional barrel samples, and the staff genuinely knows the technical details of their process. It’s one of the few places in NYC where you can watch whiskey being distilled in real time.