Manhattan’s Only Whiskey Distillery Closes Its Doors to the Public Amid Mounting Industry Headwinds

(Photo: Great Jones Distilling Co.)

Great Jones Distilling Co. is closing its flagship New York City location little over five years after it became Manhattan’s first and only legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition. It’s unclear what will become of the brand, which produces an award-winning range of ryes and bourbons made exclusively from New York-sourced ingredients.

In an Instagram post and accompanying banner message published on its website late last week, the team wrote:

“After five incredible years, Great Jones Distilling Co. Visitor Center is closed until further notice. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has been a part of the Great Jones community. Great Jones Whiskey will continue to be available for purchase online and in select retailers.”

The Visitor Center encompassed much of the 28,000-square-foot property, which opened in the trendy downtown neighborhood of NoHo in August 2021. The location included a dedicated restaurant, an underground speakeasy, a lounge for private events, a gift shop and hands-on tours with guided whiskey tastings. Its most famous fixture was a custom-made Vendome copper pot and column still, where active whiskey distillation occurred on site.

Little is known about the closure beyond the statement published at the end of last week. Great Jones has not announced whether it will maintain ownership of the property, and if so, whether whiskey distillation will continue to occur there or at a separate location.

When asked for comment by The Daily Pour, a company spokesperson for Great Jones said that “the decision followed a thorough review of the current beverage industry trends, market conditions, and overall company business strategy.”

The whiskey brand is owned by Proximo Spirits, a New Jersey-based importer and distributor, and its founder Juan Domingo Beckmann, the 11th-generation spirits tycoon behind Jose Cuervo. The billionaire tequila mogul is also responsible for 1800, Gran Centenario, Maestro Dobel and Gran Coramino, in addition to non-agave brands like Bushmills, Stranahan’s and Proper No. Twelve. Beckmann recently made headlines north of the border when he joined the ownership group of the Los Angeles Football Club.

Great Jones built its reputation around a Straight Bourbon, a Four Grain Bourbon and a Rye Whiskey, all made from 100% New York-sourced grain before aging in a facility 60 miles upstate in Warwick Valley. The brand has slowly but surely expanded its catalog in the years since. Highlights include a handful of collaborations with the late Jean-Michel Basquiat and a recently debuted $200 bourbon that (in our opinion) was delicious but didn’t completely justify its price tag.