Both of us are in Brooklyn for Widow Jane. Heirloom corn, limestone water from the Widow Jane Mine, and a 10 Year that’s better than most people give it credit for. Widow Jane is the proof that craft bourbon outside Kentucky can compete on quality.

What is Widow Jane Distillery?

Widow Jane Distillery in Brooklyn’s Red Hook (218 Conover Street) is the heirloom-corn bourbon program founded in 2012 by Daniel Preston, who also founded Cacao Prieto chocolate in the same building. Sienna Jevremov is the Head Distiller. Heaven Hill Brands now owns Widow Jane (via Samson & Surrey, acquired 2017 → Heaven Hill 2022).

The whiskeys are proofed with limestone-rich water from the Widow Jane Mine in Rosendale, New York — the historic source of cement for the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty pedestal. The flagship 10 Year is the bottle that put the operation on the bourbon map; the proprietary heirloom-corn Baby Jane (developed over four years by crossing Bloody Butcher Red and Wapsie Valley Yellow strains) launched in 2024.