Black Sheep Distillery sits on County Road 77 in the rolling hills of Prattsburgh, NY, a small town in the Finger Lakes region where wine country meets craft spirits. Founded by Jim and Denise Roberts in 2018, this family operation started as a retirement project that quickly became a passion. Jim, a former mechanical engineer, had been making moonshine as a hobby for years before deciding to go legitimate. The distillery operates out of a converted barn on their 10-acre property, where they produce small-batch bourbon, rye whiskey, and moonshine using traditional methods and local ingredients. The Roberts didn’t just stumble into distilling—they spent three years navigating New York’s complex licensing requirements and perfecting their recipes before opening their doors. Jim handles the production side while Denise manages tastings and tours, creating a genuinely personal experience for visitors. They source their corn from local farms within 50 miles and use water from their own well, which sits over limestone bedrock that naturally filters the water. The operation is deliberately small, with a 250-gallon copper pot still that allows them to control every aspect of production. What you’ll find here isn’t a polished corporate experience but rather an authentic glimpse into craft distilling. The tasting room feels more like visiting friends than a commercial operation, with Jim often explaining the distillation process while Denise pours generous samples. They age their whiskeys in 15-gallon barrels, which allows for faster maturation but requires careful monitoring. The whole operation reflects their philosophy of quality over quantity—they’d rather make 100 bottles of something exceptional than 1,000 bottles of something ordinary.