Featured Artisan: Black Button Distilling
Why would the grandson of a button factory owner open a grain-to-glass distillery in Upstate New York?
The journey that brought Jason Barrett to where he is today, founder of the successful and thriving Black Button Distilling, includes stops on Capitol Hill and a stint in sales with a cardboard box manufacturer.
It was after that that he met the team at Catoctin Creek Rye Whiskey and started to take a strong interest in distilling, eventually beginning his own journey to become a distiller.
Jason founded Black Button Distilling in his hometown, Rochester, New York in 2012 at 24 years old. It is the first grain-to-glass distillery to exist in Rochester since Prohibition, and it makes a variety of spirits, including the Four Grain Straight Bourbon, which has just launched on Curiada.
As a New York State licensed Farm Distillery, they are dedicated to crafting their high-quality, small-batch spirits with New York State grown and produced ingredients, to supporting New York State agriculture, and to responsible stewardship of the natural environment. Over 90% of the ingredients the distillery uses are grown or produced in New York State. For example, the corn, wheat, rye and barley all come from Edgewood Farms in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Black Button Distilling's deep commitment to living local and imbuing its spirits with the best of their locale exemplifies the ethos at the heart of our collection Local to Somewhere.
Not only that, but they've put down serious local roots with a strong long-term vision. They've recently opened a farm of their own, Black Button Farm & Forestry, where they are cultivating herbs, plants, and trees that will become part of their spirits and production process in the coming decades. This farm is a continuation of a lifelong dream to grow the best ingredients and make the best craft spirits, and a testament to the distillery's dedication to celebrating, showcasing, and enriching New York State grown agriculture.
