American Oak Distillery sits on New Vermont Road in Bolton Landing, a small Adirondack town on the shores of Lake George. Founded by Chris Weld in 2015, this craft distillery occupies a converted warehouse space where Weld transforms local grains into small-batch bourbon and rye whiskey. The operation runs on a 500-gallon copper still from Vendome Copper & Brass Works, the same Louisville company that’s built stills for Kentucky’s legendary distilleries for over a century. Weld came to distilling after years in business consulting, drawn by the intersection of craftsmanship and chemistry that whiskey-making demands. He spent two years perfecting his recipes before opening, working with local farmers to source New York corn and rye whenever possible. The distillery produces around 1,000 bottles per month, aging their spirits in 15 and 30-gallon barrels that mature faster than traditional 53-gallon cooperage due to the higher surface-area-to-volume ratio. Visitors step into a working production facility where you can see the entire process from milling to bottling. The tasting room overlooks the production floor through large windows, and Weld often leads tours himself, explaining how altitude and the Adirondack climate affect aging. The space feels more like a craftsman’s workshop than a polished visitor center, which fits the hands-on approach to whiskey-making happening here.