Widow Jane Distillery

Widow Jane Distillery, founded in 2012 in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood, is a hybrid producer distilling heirloom-corn bourbon on site while also sourcing, blending, and finishing straight bourbons from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana, all proofed with limestone mineral water from New York's Rosendale Mines. Owned, as of July 2026, by Heaven Hill Brands, the distillery has built a reputation on non-chill-filtered small-batch releases and unusual cask finishes, and its expressions carry a growing shelf of Double Gold and Platinum medals from national spirits competitions.

History & Heritage

Widow Jane Distillery was founded in 2012 by Daniel Preston and Vince Oleson in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, New York, at 218 Conover Street. The distillery took its name from the historic Rosendale Mines in Ulster County, New York, whose limestone-filtered mineral water the brand still uses to proof every whiskey it releases. Widow Jane built its early identity as a sourcing and blending house, hand-selecting straight bourbon and rye barrels from established Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana producers and finishing them in Brooklyn, before expanding into a hybrid model that also distills on site every week using non-GMO grain, including its proprietary Baby Jane heirloom corn.

In February 2022, Heaven Hill acquired Samson & Surrey, the beverage alcohol holding company that owned Widow Jane alongside FEW Spirits, bringing Widow Jane into the Heaven Hill portfolio. As of July 2026, Widow Jane operates as a Heaven Hill Brands property, a status confirmed by the company's own brand listings and by Widow Jane's website, which routes its privacy policy and terms of use through heavenhill.com. Leadership also changed hands during this period: Sienna Jevremov took over as Head Blender and Distiller in late 2022, succeeding Lisa Wicker.

The Whiskey

Widow Jane's production runs on two tracks that meet in the same Red Hook facility. Sourced straight bourbon and rye barrels are hand assembled into small batches, non-chill filtered, and proofed with Rosendale limestone mineral water. In parallel, the distillery mashes heirloom grain, including non-GMO Baby Jane corn, malted rye, and malted barley, in a 3,000-liter cooker, ferments it, and distills each batch 1,000 liters at a time through columns before filling hydrated 53-gallon new American oak charred barrels.

The core lineup reflects that dual approach. Widow Jane 10 Year Bourbon, bottled at 91 proof, is a blend of straight bourbons from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana assembled in 5-barrel batches. Widow Jane Decadence takes that same 10-year bourbon and finishes it in barrels that previously held Crown Maple New York maple syrup. Widow Jane Lucky Thirteen is a 13-year small-batch bourbon bottled at 93 proof that spends extra time maturing in Widow Jane's own Red Hook rickhouse after arriving from its original source. Widow Jane The Vaults, an annual limited series, marries bourbons aged at least 15 years; the 2025 release was bottled at 99 proof and finished in Mythological Oak sourced from ancient coastal forests in Greece. Widow Jane Baby Jane Bourbon is distilled from the distillery's proprietary heirloom corn in Red Hook and in Kentucky, while Paradigm Rye blends Red Hook-distilled spirit with hand-selected rye whiskeys from Kentucky and Indiana. In May 2026, Widow Jane introduced a limited Tequila Ocho Cask Finish Bourbon, its signature 10-year bourbon finished for eight months in casks that previously held Tequila Ocho, and in June 2026 released the second edition of Borough Blend, a New York-exclusive bourbon selected by bartenders from across the city's five boroughs and aged a minimum of 10 years.

Why It Matters

Widow Jane occupies an unusual position among American whiskey producers: a working urban distillery that also functions as a finishing and blending house, all built around a single, distinctive proofing water. That combination has translated into consistent recognition at major competitions. Widow Jane 10 Year Bourbon and Decadence each won Double Gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, with the 10 Year also taking Platinum at the 2025 SIP Awards. Lucky Thirteen was named American Whiskey of the Year and Best Bourbon 10-14YO at the 2024 New Orleans Spirits Competition before adding a 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Double Gold. The Vaults earned Platinum at the 2025 SIP Awards and Double Gold at the 2025 New York International Spirits Competition, and Baby Jane Bourbon won Double Gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. For those who appreciate good whiskey, Widow Jane offers a rare chance to taste both sourced and self-distilled bourbon from the same Brooklyn address, unified by the same mineral water.

Visiting the Distillery

Widow Jane offers public tours at its Red Hook, Brooklyn distillery on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for $27 per person, with a maximum of 10 guests per group. Weekday private tours can be arranged by emailing the distillery directly for $37 per person. Tours cover the rickhouse and the whiskey-making process and end with a tasting flight of Widow Jane 10 Year Bourbon, Paradigm Rye, and Apple Wood Rye. The on-site tasting room and cocktail bar, Botanica at Widow Jane, is open to the public on Friday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings.