Distillery Captures Spirit Of Sourland Mountains

HOPEWELL, NJ — Ray Disch is no stranger to the "booze" business, as he calls it. He was one of the founders of Triumph Brewing Company in Princeton and also a big proponent in getting New Jersey to pass a law allowing craft distillery licenses in 2013.

Ready for a new challenge, Disch looked to his backyard located in the Sourland Mountain range to start his next endeavour.

“Once the law changed I talked to my wife about getting back into the booze business,” Disch told Patch.

Disch along with his wife Erica, sons and other partners came together to create the “first farm distillery in New Jersey since prohibition.”

Sourland Mountain Distillery officially opened on March 11 with the launch of their gin and vodka.

Located right on Brick Farm in Hopewell, the spirits are handcrafted in small batches and use fresh ingredients. The gin took about a year and half to craft and includes 12 different botanicals such as sweet orange peel, lemon peel and juniper.

Both the gin and vodka have already won several medals including being named New Jersey’s Gin Distillery Of The Year by the New York International Spirits Competition.

Drawing from an aquifer at the base of the Sourland range, Disch’s spirits are made using pure water filtered through micro-fractures in the geologic formations of the mountains.

Now the distillery is looking to add rum to its offerings. Joseph Naaron, the distiller, is crafting a special rum that is being aged in whiskey barrels and will launch on Dec. 1.

Locals can come by for tours on Saturdays that include a tasting and a shot glass. Guests will be able to tour the distillery and then taste the product at the Brick Farm Tavern restaurant on the same property. Bottles of Sourland Mountain Distillery products are also available to purchase at the restaurant.

There is also an option for locals to “adopt a barrel.” Locals can adopt a 5, 10, or 15 gallon barrel at the current retail price. It takes about 2 years to age, but during the aging process the adopter can come in to sample how it is aging and then once ready the adopter keeps the product.

The distillery is expanding its reach all over the Garden State. Most recently they have been asked to create a special batch exclusively for members of Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster.

For more information on Sourland Mountain Distillery visit www.sourlandspirits.com or Facebook or Instagram.

(Photos by Alexis Tarrazi: Ray Disch, Partner and Joseph Naaron, Distiller)

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