New York Distilling Company sits on Johnson Avenue in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, founded in 2011 by Tom Potter (co-founder of Brooklyn Brewery) and Allen Katz, a spirits industry veteran who previously worked at Pernod Ricard. They transformed a former auto body shop into Brooklyn’s first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition ended. The 7,000-square-foot space houses copper pot stills and fermentation tanks, where they produce gin, rye whiskey, and limited releases that have earned serious respect from spirits enthusiasts.
Potter brought his entrepreneurial brewing experience while Katz contributed deep spirits knowledge, including expertise in pre-Prohibition New York distilling history. They wanted to revive the city’s lost distilling culture, which once included hundreds of distilleries across the boroughs. After navigating complex city regulations and zoning challenges, they opened with a focus on historically-informed recipes and traditional production methods. Master distiller Allen Katz researches old New York distilling techniques, recreating spirits that disappeared decades ago.
The tasting room doubles as a cocktail bar called The Shanty, where bartenders mix drinks using the distillery’s own spirits alongside carefully selected bottles. You can watch production through large windows while sipping cocktails made with their Dorothy Parker American Gin or Ragtime Rye. The atmosphere feels authentically Brooklyn—industrial but welcoming, with exposed brick and the constant hum of fermentation tanks. Tours let you see the 1,000-liter German copper stills up close and learn about their grain-to-glass process.
