The Sauvage Distillery sits on 20 acres of land 2000 feet above sea level in Charlotteville, New York. Some of the apple trees on the property are 100 years-old and still bear fruit.
Dating back before the Civil War, the property had been a Methodist Seminary with more than 3,000 students from 1850-1854, but burned to the ground in a suspected arson-related fire.
Following the Civil War in 1867, it housed a hotel, and from 1875 to the 1950’s was used as farmland.
From the 1950’s to around 1998 a book binding company, called Storyhouse Corp, used the location as a book bindery. Their primary client was Scholastic and there as still some Harry Potter books in the building. That is why, to locals, it will always be known as story house.
After meticulously restoring the properties’ five buildings, equipment was added and the distillery and fermentation room were expanded to accommodate increased demand. Upstate Vodka is both very traditional and quite unique for vodka due to the use of apples. The final product is not “flavored” but the apple base does lend a wonderful mouthfeel and a nice hint of fruit on the back end of the palate.
You can taste the fruits of our labor in every bottle of Upstate Vodka. Not every apple is created equal and not every batch is exactly the same. Part science, part art, using local apples, we take the time and a hands-on approach to make the finest quality vodka every time. We take pride in creating a small batch, truly hand crafted, agricultural product.
Located in Charlotteville, New York, we produce and bottle our signature product, Upstate Vodka, under one roof. We are proud to work with and support the hardworking local apple farms that surround us.
The Catskill watershed is not only the source of high quality local water that we use in Upstate Vodka, it is also one of the major sources of water for New York City. The Catskill watershed is located in parts of Greene, Ulster, and Schoharie Counties, about 100 miles north of New York City and 35 miles west of the Hudson River. The Schonarie Reservoir, in the county where Upstate Vodka is produced, was added to the Catskill system in 1926.
