Madison County Distillery sits on Route 20 in Cazenovia, about 20 miles southeast of Syracuse in New York’s rolling Finger Lakes region. Founded by husband-and-wife team Chris and Kelly Weld in 2017, this farm distillery operates out of a renovated barn on their 40-acre property where they grow their own grain. Chris, a former IT professional, and Kelly, who worked in marketing, decided to combine their love of craft spirits with sustainable farming after years of dreaming about leaving corporate life behind. The Welds planted winter wheat, corn, and rye on their land and built their distillery from the ground up, literally hauling equipment into the old dairy barn they’d converted. They installed a 250-gallon copper pot still from Vendome and started with vodka before moving into whiskey production. Their approach centers on what they call “grain to glass” – everything from planting to bottling happens on their property. Chris handles distillation while Kelly manages the business side, and they’ve got help from their teenage kids who pitch in during busy seasons. The tasting room feels like you’re visiting someone’s really well-appointed garage – wooden tables, exposed beams, and the warm smell of grain mash from the production area next door. You’ll taste their spirits while looking out over the fields where the grain actually grew, which gives the whole experience an authenticity that’s hard to fake. They’re producing about 1,000 bottles per month, focusing on small batches that let them experiment with different mash bills and aging techniques.