In 1911, George Skiff and Andrew Beak founded a 100-acre apple orchard in New York’s Hudson Valley. At the time, the Hudson Valley, which extends from New York City northward through Albany, was home to thousands of farms, hundreds of which distilled the excess fruits and grains they harvested into spirits. As a result of the onset of Prohibition, however, these farmers were forced to abandon their stills. Today, Marshall Skiff, a third-generation farmer and master distiller, shepherds his family legacy forward at 1911 Spirits. 1911 Spirits Small Batch Vodka is distilled exclusively from New York apples grown at the Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards. Once the apples have been harvested, they are pressed into a sweet cider, fermented and then triple distilled through 1911’s copper still. “It’s our apples, it’s our cider and it’s our vodka that comes off that still,” says Skiff. “You can turn around and look at those hills and see the apples that made that vodka. That’s pretty unique.” As a result, 1911 Vodka has a smooth vanilla taste, with undertones of apple and caramel. The finish is soft and gentle, and lacks the burn typically associated with most vodkas. “This vodka is smooth,” says Skiff. “I call it dangerously smooth.”
