How Klocke Estate Is Growing a New Generation of American Brandy

Perched atop a hill in upstate New York, five miles outside Hudson and 117 miles from New York City, sits a future center of the American brandy industry. In time, it could well become the nation’s premier producer of fine fruit spirits, with products to rival the age, complexity, and pedigree of those most European expressions.

Of course, “could” is an important qualifier, and that’s if everything goes well. It will take generations to turn this slice of the Hudson Valley into one of the world’s great brandy regions. Fortunately for Klocke Estate, its founder John Frishkopf is comfortable planning centuries ahead.

What started as a daydream has steadily evolved into a remarkable and unique operation. Nearly 20 years after Frishkopf was first inspired by European spirits, Klocke is just a handful of years into operations. Yet it’s already producing some of the most exciting spirits in its region — and its long-term goals are some of the nation’s most aspirational. Simultaneously, Klocke has built a hospitality program poised to make the leap from hidden gem to true destination.

Earlier this year, I visited Klocke to get a firsthand look at what Frishkopf and team are building — and how they’re balancing near term goals with 200 year ambitions.

European Origins and Hudson Valley Roots

In his early career, John Frishkopf didn’t imagine a future in spirits. Instead, the MIT graduate pursued professions in finance, technology, and infrastructure. Those focuses took him to Europe, where he worked for a decade across Vienna, London, and Prague. But it wasn’t long before Frishkopf caught the brandy bug, inspired by European hospitality and after-dinner tastings with friends and found family.

Born with a tinkerer’s mindset, he eventually began experimenting with home distillation. Upon returning to America, spirits, and Frishkopf was soon disheartened by the relative paucity of home-grown brandy options. America was quickly becoming even more whiskey-obsessed, and domestic brandy almost felt like an afterthought, relegated to the realm spirits nerds of and small-yet-passionate producers. The nation, it seemed, lacked a signature style with clout to rival spirits Cognac, Armagnac, and Calvados. Changing that would require establishing strong roots — both literally and figuratively — while thinking hundreds of years forward.

Starting in 2008, Frishkopf began quietly exploring regions and properties to build a new style of American brandies. That dream stayed on hold until around 2016, when he retired from his day job and began searching in earnest for the perfect property. The search took him across the country, and for a time, New England looked like a prime candidate.

Eventually, he settled on the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes. The region’s soil and climate lend themselves to apples and grapes with high acidity and relatively low sugar content. Winemakers might see that as a challenge. But Frishkopf believes the region — and importantly, its fruit — is uniquely suited to growing both world class apples and grapes for distillate.

In early 2018, Frishkopf acquired roughly 160 acres of former farmland in Claverack, New York. From there, Frishkopf and his team began construction on what he calls an “earth-to-glass” brandy distillery, farm, and hospitality center. Executing on his 200-year, multi-generational business plan, however, would prove easier said than done.

Building Klocke

Frishkopf initially self-funded Klocke’s buildout before eventually raising outside capital from local investors, in addition to grants and tax incentives. Early steps included parsing the property, of which about 90 acres are cultivable. Heavy clay soil required an extensive drainage project, and teams installed more than 33 miles of drainage tile. Roads, paths, and terraces had to be carved anew.

Along the way, Frishkopf’s team looked for every opportunity to maximize sustainability. Cleared underbrush was turned into literal tons of biochar, a boon to soil health and drainage. The company believes it’s the first operation in the state to use this technique with locally harvested plant waste.

By 2020, the estate’s first plots were ready for planting. Orchards currently boast 43 cider apple varieties across bittersweets, bittersharps, and sweets; vineyards focus on nine types of grape.

Cultivation is one part of the equation, and distillation is another. Klocke purchased two main stills for production. For aged spirits, Klocke bought a 2,500-liter, direct-fired (via propane) Alembic Charentais pot still imported from Cognac. For unaged spirits, it commissioned a custom 500-liter Müller copper still from Oberkirch, Germany. The property also features a French-style Chai (or barrel cellar) constructed with timber framing, two-foot-tick straw bale walls, and a natural clay floor.

Progressing from Frishkopf’s daydream to full-scale operation has also meant growing the team. Klocke currently employs around 15 people across management and production, alongside four seasonal employees and nearly 40 hospitality staff.

Klocke’s Spirits Program

It will take decades to realize Frishkopf’s dream of multi-decade age statements. In the meantime, Klocke certainly isn’t sitting idle, and its portfolio is growing at a pre-planned, steady clip. Klocke’s first apple brandy was distilled in 2022, with cider from the 2021 harvest. With the current setup, production in the Alembic Charentais still takes around 11 hours, with three initial distillations feeding a secondary distillation.

In late 2024, Klocke released its first unoaked brandy, dubbed “00 Apple Brandy.” Its first aged, oaked product — Referent Apple Brandy — followed roughly a year later with 400 bottle limited release. Meanwhile, the estate’s early distillates continue to age in the Chai, primarily in French limousine casks. While the company hasn’t divulged its exact schedule, it’s likely we’ll see gradually older apple (and eventually grape-based) releases in the coming years.

Klocke is also leveraging its Müller still for eaux de vie made with fruit from local sourcing partners. Early releases have included spirits distilled from plum, sour cherry, and Traminette grapes. Klocke also currently produces lines of vermouth, liqueurs, and ready-to-drink cocktails, marketed as complements to the growing brandy portfolio.

On the weekend I visited, Klocke had just begun experimenting with a grappa-style brandy. That particular project, it seems, is still somewhat under wraps. Team members wanted time to assess and adjust before offering outsiders like me a taste.

Hudson Valley Hospitality

In Frishkopf’s mind, the foundation for a new, world-class spirits category doesn’t rest on bottles alone. He’s long envisioned Klocke as a multifaceted destination, where visitors to the Hudson Valley can tour the grounds and production while sipping and eating to their heart’s content. Attached to the distillery is an expansive bar and restaurant, with interior design by Ken Fulk.

Both were unveiled during Klocke’s July 2024 grand opening. The food menu is seasonal, curated, and often portioned for sharing. And while the wine menu is expansive, food is even complemented by a select cocktail menu and offering of house pours, in addition to spirit-free options.

Currently, Klocke Estate offers a 30 minute distillery tour and tasting, in addition to a Brandy 101 workshop and farm tour. In the future, Frishkopf envisions expanding tour offerings that may include barrel tastings/cask selections, in addition to more hands-on explorations of Klocke’s brandymaking process. Those experiences could give visitors deep insight into how Klocke’s house style evolves from harvest to harvest and year to year.

In an ideal world, Klocke’s farm, spirits, and hospitality programs will interweave as an ecosystem, designed to be explored on-sight and then captured in bottlings to export far and wide. As with any finely aged brandy, it will be a long and sometimes unpredictable process; from the field to the barrel, nature must necessarily run its course. But Frishkopf is quick to emphasize he isn’t just building for the here and now. It’s that very patience — and persistence — that could lead to success over the road ahead.

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