News
August 20, 2015Albany Distilling Picks Yates Street in Downtown Schenectady for New Operation
The Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority today announced another major investment in downtown Schenectady. The Albany Distilling Company will work with the owners of 10-12 Yates Street to invest over $750,000 to turn two vacant buildings into a distillery that will also sell retail merchandise as well as conduct tours of the manufacturing operations. Albany Distilling has an existing operation at Quackenbush Square in Albany and a retail location in Troy.
John Curtin, co-owner of Albany Distilling said, “We are extremely excited about expanding our footprint into Schenectady. Our current facility next to the Pump Station in Albany will remain as busy as ever, but we’ve outgrown our location much sooner than we anticipated. Moving into
10 -12 Yates Street will not only give us much-needed space for production and equipment, but will also allow us a much greater opportunity to interact with our customers. After three years of making whiskey, Richard Sicari and I have put together a fantastic team capable of growing into something remarkable. This is a really big step for us.”
“I want to congratulate John Curtin and Richard Sicari on the success of their business and thank them for choosing Schenectady County as the location for their expansion,” said Gary Hughes, Chairman of the County Legislature’s Committee on Economic Development and Planning. “The renovation of these two buildings and the addition of another growing business is great news for our community. I wish them the best of luck in their new home.”
Ray Gillen, Metroplex Chair said, “Yates Street is a great location just one block over from Proctors, close to the very popular North Broadway area and it connects to lower Union Street which is home to a large number of restaurants and new downtown apartments. This is an ideal spot for this new manufacturing and retail operation which will provide tours and give people another reason to visit downtown Schenectady.”
The two buildings on Yates Street include over 8,000 square feet of space. The vacant structures will receive a complete gut renovation to accommodate the new Schenectady home for Albany Distilling. An early 2016 opening is planned. Metroplex will provide a $60,000 grant toward building renovation costs.
Albany Distilling Company earned a Gold medal from the American Craft Spirits Association and three Bronze medals from the American Distilling Institute. Additional company and product information can be found online at albanydistilling.com, on Facebook (fb.com/albanydistilling), on Instagram (@albanydistillingco), and on Twitter (@AlbDistCo). Tours and tastings at the Albany location are available on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 2 to 8 p.m.
