Finger Lakes Distilling LLC

Finger Lakes Distilling is the Burdett, New York craft whiskey operation that put the Finger Lakes wine region on the American craft spirits map — and the producer of the McKenzie family of whiskeys, one of the most respected craft American whiskey brands operating in the broader Upstate New York scene. Founded in 2009 by Brian McKenzie and Thomas Earl McKenzie (no relation to each other, despite the surname coincidence that anchors the brand name) on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake — the largest of the Finger Lakes — Finger Lakes Distilling occupies a purpose-built facility at 4676 New York State Route 414, within the heart of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail and the broader Finger Lakes Region tourism corridor.

The decision to locate in the Finger Lakes wine country was deliberate. The Finger Lakes Region (Yates, Schuyler, Steuben, Tompkins, and Seneca Counties — the area roughly bounded by Rochester to the north and Ithaca to the south) is one of the most agriculturally productive grain and fruit growing regions in New York State, and the regional wine-tourism industry that's developed around the 11 Finger Lakes over the past several decades created the visitor-traffic ecosystem that's now anchoring a parallel craft-spirits scene. Finger Lakes Distilling sources grain from regional farms, ages whiskey in barrels stored on-site in the Seneca Lake-adjacent rickhouse, and serves the regional wine-and-craft-spirits tourism circuit that brings visitors to Geneva, Watkins Glen, and the surrounding lake towns.

The flagship McKenzie line covers McKenzie Bourbon (the four-grain bourbon flagship), McKenzie Rye Whiskey (the rye program — finished in used New York wine casks, which is a regionally distinctive technique), McKenzie Pure Pot Still Whiskey (a Tennessee-style triple-distilled malt-and-grain whiskey), McKenzie Single Malt Whiskey (one of the early American Single Malt programs from a New York producer), and a substantial range of brandy, gin, and seasonal limited bottlings. The McKenzie Rye in particular has earned competition recognition that's put it on the same shelf as the broader modern American craft rye field.

The Burdett visitor experience anchors the Finger Lakes craft-spirits stop on what would otherwise be a wine-focused tour. The Route 414 location puts Finger Lakes Distilling on the main Seneca Lake Wine Trail corridor, walking or short-drive distance from a dozen surrounding wineries, the broader Watkins Glen tourism cluster, and the Finger Lakes National Forest hiking and outdoor recreation. Tours move through the working production floor, the rickhouses, and a tasting room that includes the full Finger Lakes and McKenzie range. For visitors building a Finger Lakes wine country weekend, Finger Lakes Distilling is the essential craft-spirits anchor of the entire region.