Hours
A thin stream of spirit running from a spout on the distillery floor.

New Jersey’s Best DistilleryEst. 2017

Grain to glass.

We are a true grain to glass distillery, as everything is mashed, fermented, distilled and bottled on site.

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(01) — The distillery

Sussex County’s first distillery in over 70 years, located in the small town of Branchville, nestled in the rural northwest corner of New Jersey.

Open stainless tank on the distillery floor.
A row of stainless tanks on the distillery floor.

(02) — The make

Bottled by.

Distilled and bottled by.

Gordon’s point: some distilleries buy neutral spirit, and the label says bottled by. Milk Street’s says distilled and bottled by.

(03) — Our spirits

Eleven bottles.
No shortcuts.

(04) — Since the late 1800s

Bringing it back, just in liquid form.

The building went up in the late 1800s as a feed and grain store. Gordon keeps a photograph over the fireplace: the early 1900s, sacks of grain stacked floor to ceiling, and the sliding doors that are still here.

Mike and Gordon grew up in Franklin. In February 2015 they quit construction. “We quit our jobs, mortgaged our houses, and went full bore on this,” Mike said. Gordon’s shorter version: “Temporary insanity.”

The Milk Street building in its feed-store days.
Then
The Milk Street building.
Feed store
Barrels racked in the Milk Street barrel room.
Now
  1. 1948The Sussex County Distillery Co. burns.
  2. 2015Mike and Gordon quit construction.
  3. 2017Doors open with Black Vulture Vodka and Wooden Leg Rum.

Why Milk Street? It’s on Milk Street. The street sat between two creameries. The distillery cats are Harry and Ester.

(05) — Tours & tastings

Make your weekend grain to glass.

We offer weekly tours in addition to tasting sessions. Tours run every half an hour. It is not necessary to book a tour, just c’mon in.

The tasting room at Milk Street Distillery.

We’re located in downtown Branchville.


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