The place might have wreaked of gin, but Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams preferred the whiskey
That after Adams sampled the wares today while unveiling his administration’s report on the city’s craft beverage industry at one of Williamsburg’s most well-known distilleries, The New York Distilling Company.
The report, based on data collected from 2011 to 2016, compared New York City’s craft beverage industry to similar ones throughout the country. Accordingly, it showed that certain barriers and challenges face the city’s craft beverage industry specifically in regulations, waste management and licensing that are hindering the economic potential and benefits of these business for the borough.
As a result, Adams revealed his recommendations to expand the economic potential of the craft beverage industry starting with the creation of a single point of contact in the City’s Economic Development Corporation (NYC EDC) to disseminate information for existing and new operators in the industry.
“I am calling on the New York Economic Development Corporation to create a craft beverage point person. We have this on the state level, now we need that on the city level, to delete complications to businesses and allow them to navigate in New York City. The confusing alphabet soup of agencies and rules and regulations is ending a way of moving forward,” said Adams.
One of the biggest challenges in the industry according to the report, is regulation. In 2014 an updated NYC fire code resulted in the requiring of combustible and flammable liquids to have a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) permit, which included distilled alcohol even though not specifically mentioned in the new code. The new code directly impacted the industry in 2016 when distilleries began receiving violations from the FDNY, giving them 10 days to file an application for the Certificate of Fitness to comply with the fire code or be fined and shut down.
“All of us got summonses seemingly overnight from the FDNY, which was very sobering. The fire code in New York City had been really old, and had been updated a few years ago, but if you’re an ongoing business you can’t keep track of that stuff,” said Tom Potter Co-Founder of Brooklyn Brewery and the New York Distilling Co.
Eventually Adams office stepped in and was able to assist with compliance issues and registration with the City’s Department of Buildings (DOB) after holding an open forum and having distilleries talk directly to city agencies. Adams believes it is this lack of communication that is the critical piece in growing the industry.
“It meant a lot to us for the Borough President to recognize that were important to the borough. There are a lot [of companies and people] who contribute to the economy and the reputation of the borough,” said Potter.
The Borough President’s other recommendations include incorporating the waste management system of private carters and craft beverage businesses into existing and expanding composting programs, the creation of an annual craft beverage awareness campaign to increase tourism and marketing of the industry and creating an urban agriculture incubator to support the growth of urban farming to provide a direct connection of ingredients to the brewing and distilling industry.
Since 2011, when the first three breweries started in Brooklyn, the industry hasn’t stopped growing and now the borough is home to more than 16 local breweries.
The New York Distilling Co. started a few years ago but has grown to be one of the “premiere” craft distilleries and produces three different gins and two different whiskeys, with their most popular spirit being Dorothy Parker American Gin.
According to Christopher Murillo, the distiller, the Brooklyn based brewery produces, packages and sends out hundreds of bottles a week of each of its spirits not including the bottles it sells at its bar attached to the distillery.
“I have committed a starting investment of a million dollars to the EDC to create an urban incubator in Brooklyn. We are looking to move forward and to do some great things. Where else can you go to get your buzz on and get your business on with great beer and some great people,” said Adams.
