hudsonwhiskey.com

Hudson Whiskey is a New York whiskey brand that describes itself as New York's first whiskey distillery since Prohibition. Its website (hudsonwhiskey.com) serves three main purposes: browsing the whiskey lineup, getting cocktail recipes, and finding ways to shop or book a distillery tour. It's owned by William Grant & Sons, a fifth-generation Scottish family distiller. If you want to understand the brand, pick a bottle, or plan a visit, the site covers all three.

What the brand is

Hudson Whiskey positions itself around a New York identity — the site's tagline is "Whiskey as Bold as New York." Two facts anchor the brand:

• It calls itself New York's first whiskey distillery since Prohibition.
• It is fully owned by William Grant & Sons, a Scottish family distiller now in its fifth generation.

The current lineup is entirely New York-labeled whiskey, split between bourbon and rye expressions, all bottled at 46% ABV.

The whiskey lineup

The site lists these bottles, each with its own product page:

All are listed at 46% ABV. If you're deciding between them, the finishing details are the clearest differentiator: maple syrup barrels (Short Stack), peated Scotch barrels (Back Room Deal), and Calvados casks (Rye Calvados Cask Finish) each push the flavor in a distinct direction, while Four Part Harmony and the 5YO bourbon differ mainly by age and mash bill.

Cocktail recipes

The site publishes recipes built around its own bottles. Three examples:

Ca$h 4 Gold

• 2 parts Hudson Bright Lights, Big Bourbon
• 3/4 part fresh lemon
• 3/4 part honey syrup
• Build in a shaker, shake with ice, strain into a tumbler over fresh ice, garnish with a lemon wheel.

New Money Old Fashioned

• 2 parts Hudson Bright Lights, Big Bourbon
• 1 bar spoon Demerara simple syrup
• 1–2 dashes aromatic bitters
• Stir with ice until chilled, strain over a large ice chunk, express orange zest over the drink and garnish.

New York Ryeball

• Built on Hudson rye (the site's recipe text is partially truncated, so check the page for the full measurements).

These are useful if you already have a bottle and want a starting point rather than inventing a drink.

Shopping and distillery tours

The site has a dedicated shop entry point at /en-US/buy-hudson-whiskey/, and the navigation includes a distillery section alongside Events. That means two practical actions are supported directly from the homepage:

• Buy: use the Shop link to reach the purchase page.
• Visit: use the distillery section to book a tour, as the site's own description invites visitors to "book a tour with us."

The site does not publish pricing on the pages captured here, so check the shop page for current prices and availability rather than assuming anything about cost.

Who this site is for

The site is aimed at three kinds of visitors: people who want to know what Hudson Whiskey is, people ready to buy a bottle, and people planning a distillery visit. If you fall into any of those groups, the homepage gives you a direct path to the lineup, the recipes, and the shop or tour booking — no account or extra navigation required to start browsing.

Hudson Whiskey's website includes dedicated Distillery and Events sections, so the place to start is hudsonwhiskey.com — look for those two navigation items to find tour information and event listings. The site also states that Hudson Whiskey is "New York's first whiskey distillery since prohibition," which is the main reason visitors seek it out. Note that the available site material confirms these sections exist but does not spell out tour schedules, ticket prices, or a booking form, so treat the site itself as the source of truth for current details.

What the Website Offers Visitors

Based on the site's own navigation and content, you can expect to find:

• Distillery — background on the distillery and, per the site's description, the ability to "book a tour with us."
• Events — a section for event information.
• Shop — a linked store page (/en-US/buy-hudson-whiskey/) if you want bottles rather than a visit.
• Our Story — brand history, useful context before or after a tour.

The site's own summary line is: "Shop Hudson whiskey, bourbon and rye today, or book a tour with us."

How to Plan a Visit

1. Go to hudsonwhiskey.com.
2. Open the Distillery section to read about tours and look for a booking entry point.
3. Check the Events section for scheduled happenings.
4. If no booking form appears, use the contact details on the site to ask about availability directly.

Expected result: you either complete a booking through the site or come away with the correct contact channel. The site does not publish tour times or prices in the material available, so don't assume a walk-in policy.

What You Can Taste or Buy

If your visit is partly about the whiskey itself, the site lists these products, all at 46% ABV:

Hudson Whiskey is described on the site as fully owned by William Grant & Sons, a fifth-generation Scottish family distiller.

If You Want the Cocktail Experience Instead

The site publishes house cocktail recipes you can make at home — useful if a tour isn't practical. For example, the New Money Old Fashioned uses 2 parts Hudson Bright Lights, Big Bourbon, 1 bar spoon Demerara simple syrup, and 1–2 dashes aromatic bitters, stirred with ice and strained over a large ice chunk with expressed orange zest. The Ca$h 4 Gold combines 2 parts Bright Lights, Big Bourbon with ¾ part fresh lemon and ¾ part honey syrup, shaken and strained over fresh ice.

Common Snags

• No published schedule or pricing on the site material — check the Distillery and Events pages directly rather than relying on third-party listings.
• Booking may route through contact rather than an instant form — have your preferred dates ready before you reach out.
• Age and legal requirements — distillery visits and purchases are subject to local alcohol regulations; confirm eligibility before booking.

Hudson Whiskey is fully owned by William Grant & Sons, a fifth-generation Scottish family distiller. The brand also describes itself as New York's first whiskey distillery since Prohibition. Those two facts are the core of its positioning: a New York craft-style whiskey house backed by an established, family-owned international spirits company.

Ownership: William Grant & Sons

The site states plainly that Hudson Whiskey is "fully owned by William Grant & Sons, a fifth-generation Scottish family distiller." That matters for how you read the brand:

• It is not independent. Despite the small-batch, New York-focused presentation, Hudson sits inside a larger global spirits group.
• It is family-controlled rather than publicly traded, based on the "fifth-generation Scottish family distiller" description.
• The Scottish parentage does not make the whiskey Scottish. Hudson's products are labeled as New York whiskey, and the brand identity is built around New York rather than Scotland.

If your reason for asking is to judge whether Hudson is a genuine craft distillery or a large-company label, the honest answer is that it is a craft-origin brand now owned by a major family distiller. Both things are true at once.

Brand story: New York's first distillery since Prohibition

The central claim Hudson makes about itself is that it is "New York's first whiskey distillery since prohibition." This is the anchor of its story and explains several choices:

• New York naming throughout the lineup. Products carry names like New York Straight Bourbon Whiskey, New York Straight Rye Whiskey, and New York Four Grain Bourbon Whiskey.
• A New York personality in the marketing. The tagline "Whiskey as Bold as New York" and the "Bright Lights, Big Bourbon" product name tie the brand to the state rather than to Kentucky or Tennessee.
• A distillery you can visit. The site pairs the whiskey range with distillery tours and events, which fits a brand that sells its origin story as part of the product.

The site points readers to an "Our Story" section for the fuller history. If you want the brand's own account of its founding and Prohibition-era framing, that is the page to read rather than secondhand summaries.

What the brand actually sells

The story is only useful if you know what it attaches to. Hudson's current lineup, as listed on the site, is:

Two patterns stand out. First, the entire range sits at 46% ABV, which is a consistent house strength rather than a mix of cask-strength and standard bottlings. Second, the brand leans heavily on cask finishing — maple syrup, peated Scotch, and Calvados barrels all appear — which is a way for a younger distillery to add distinct flavor without waiting decades.

The Back Room Deal finish in peated Scotch barrels is a notable choice for a New York brand owned by a Scottish parent: it is one of the few places where the ownership and the liquid visibly connect.

How to use this if you are deciding something

• If you care about supporting independent distilleries, Hudson is owned by a larger group, so it does not fit that category.
• If you care about New York provenance, the brand's identity and product naming are built around it, and the site offers distillery tours if you want to see the operation directly.
• If you are comparing it to other William Grant & Sons brands, the ownership link is the relevant fact; the whiskey itself is New York-made and New York-labeled.
• If you want the full history, go to the "Our Story" page on hudsonwhiskey.com rather than relying on the product pages, which focus on bottles and cocktails.

One caution: the site does not publish founding dates, acquisition dates, or ownership percentages in the material available here. If those specifics matter to you, the "Our Story" page is the place to check, and anything beyond what it states should be treated as unverified.

Hudson Whiskey's own website publishes complete recipes for cocktails built around its bourbon and rye, including exact measurements and step-by-step instructions. If you already have a bottle of Hudson Bright Lights, Big Bourbon or another Hudson expression, you can make any of the drinks below at home with a shaker, a mixing glass, and a few common bar ingredients. The recipes below come directly from Hudson Whiskey's site.

What you need before you start

• A Hudson whiskey. The published recipes call specifically for Hudson Bright Lights, Big Bourbon (New York Straight Bourbon, 46% ABV). Other Hudson expressions may work, but the site's recipes name this one.
• Basic bar tools. A cocktail shaker, a mixing glass, a strainer, and a tumbler or rocks glass.
• Fresh citrus and sweeteners. The recipes use fresh lemon, honey syrup, and Demerara simple syrup — not shelf-stable substitutes.
• Ice. Both for shaking/stirring and for serving over fresh ice.

Ca$h 4 Gold

A shaken bourbon sour with lemon and honey.

Ingredients

• 2 parts Hudson Bright Lights, Big Bourbon
• 3/4 part fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 part honey syrup

Instructions

1. Build all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake with ice.
3. Strain into a tumbler glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

What to expect: a bright, tart drink where the honey rounds off the lemon. Because it's shaken and served over fresh ice, it dilutes gradually — drink it before the ice waters it down too far.

New Money Old Fashioned

A stirred, spirit-forward take on the Old Fashioned.

Ingredients

• 2 parts Hudson Bright Lights, Big Bourbon
• 1 bar spoon Demerara simple syrup
• 1–2 dashes aromatic bitters

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
2. Stir until well-chilled.
3. Strain into an Old Fashioned/rocks glass over a large chunk of ice.
4. Cut a generous slice of orange zest, express the orange oils over the drink, and garnish with the zest.

What to expect: a stronger, less sweet drink than the Ca$h 4 Gold. The large ice chunk melts slowly, so the drink stays cold without getting watery quickly. Expressing the orange zest over the top adds aroma before the first sip.

New York Ryeball

The site lists a third recipe, New York Ryeball, in the same cocktails section. The published excerpt cuts off partway through its ingredient list, so the full measurements and steps aren't available here — check the cocktails page on hudsonwhiskey.com for the complete version.

Practical notes

• Parts vs. ounces. The recipes use "parts," so you can scale them to any size as long as you keep the ratios. A "part" can be 1 oz, 1.5 oz, or whatever fits your glass.
• Honey syrup and Demerara syrup are not the same. Honey syrup is honey thinned with water; Demerara syrup is a sugar syrup. Substituting one for the other will change the drink noticeably.
• Fresh lemon matters. Bottled lemon juice tastes flatter in a shaken sour like the Ca$h 4 Gold.
• Chill your glass if you can. Both recipes are served over ice, and a pre-chilled glass keeps the drink colder longer.

Where these recipes come from

All three cocktails — Ca$h 4 Gold, New Money Old Fashioned, and New York Ryeball — appear in the cocktails section of Hudson Whiskey's website, alongside the brand's whiskey lineup. Hudson Whiskey describes itself as New York's first whiskey distillery since Prohibition and is fully owned by William Grant & Sons. The site also offers a shop and distillery tours, but the recipes above are the part relevant to mixing drinks at home.

Hudson Whiskey's lineup centers on New York straight bourbon and rye, most bottled at 46% ABV, with several cask-finished and limited releases. If you're deciding what to buy, the main split is between the core bourbon and rye expressions and the specialty finishes — the latter are the ones worth checking stock on, since limited editions sell through.

Core bourbon and rye

These are the bottles you'll see most often and the easiest starting point.

Cask-finished and specialty releases

These use secondary barrel finishes or longer aging, which is where the flavor differences get more pronounced.

• Short Stack — New York Straight Rye finished in maple syrup barrels (46% ABV). Choose this if you want a sweeter, dessert-leaning rye.
• Back Room Deal — New York Straight Rye finished in peated Scotch barrels (46% ABV). Choose this if you like a smoky edge on your rye.
• Four Part Harmony — New York Four Grain Bourbon aged a minimum of seven years (46% ABV). The oldest and most complex option in the range.
• Hudson Rye Calvados Cask Finish — New York Rye finished in Calvados casks (46% ABV). A fruit-forward finish for drinkers who want something off the standard profile.
• Hudson Mets Limited Edition — 95% corn, 5% malted barley, aged a minimum of three years, Kosher certified (46% ABV). A limited release, so availability is the deciding factor.

How to choose

• First bottle: Bright Lights, Big Bourbon or Do The Rye Thing — these define the house style at 46% ABV.
• Want smoke: Back Room Deal.
• Want sweet: Short Stack.
• Want age and depth: Four Part Harmony.
• Want something unusual: Hudson Rye Calvados Cask Finish.

Where to buy

The site has a dedicated Shop page (hudsonwhiskey.com/en-US/buy-hudson-whiskey/) for purchasing bottles. The site also lists distillery tours and events, so you can visit in person rather than buy blind. Hudson Whiskey is fully owned by William Grant & Sons, a fifth-generation Scottish family distiller, and describes itself as New York's first whiskey distillery since Prohibition.

One practical note: the site also publishes cocktail recipes using these bottles — Ca$h 4 Gold (Bright Lights, Big Bourbon, lemon, honey syrup), New Money Old Fashioned (Bright Lights, Big Bourbon, demerara syrup, aromatic bitters), and New York Ryeball. If you're buying for mixing rather than sipping, Bright Lights, Big Bourbon appears in two of the three, making it the most versatile single bottle to start with.