Kings County Distillery

Building 121, or the Paymaster Building, was the bank and administrative offices for the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It was built between 1899 and 1905, and originally was located about 100 yards from its current location. The entire building was moved in 1907. Later, it housed a manufacturer of shrouds for Orthodox Jewish funerals.

The building is now occupied by Kings County Distillery. Founded in 2010. the distillery makes award-winning craft bourbons, whiskeys, and moonshine. Originally based in Williamsburg, they moved into the Paymaster Building in 2012.

I'd been wanting to get inside to do some sketching, and thanks to the staff, I got to spend some time drawing the factory floor during Open House NY Weekend.

Fermenters

Copper Stripping Still

New still that will replace the one in the previous drawing. The cat is named Jessie.

I forget what this tank is for.

Upstairs is the "Boozeum," showing the history of whiskey at the Navy Yard and Brooklyn in general. These two moonshine stills are on display, though they aren't as old as they appear. The tall vertical one was owned by a moonshiner who lived in Windsor Terrace until 2012, and was built by a Civil War renenactor.

They offer regular tours, and you can enjoy their product at the Gatehouses, the restrored Sands Street entrance, which happened to be the first of these Navy Yard drawings.