137. Empire Rye: New York's Own Whiskey

Head north to Old Chatham in the Hudson Valley with us for another walk-and-talk adventure — this time at Silver Brothers Distillery, set on a beautiful former sheep farm with rolling hills, open vistas, and serious "old money" energy.

Host Mat Zucker sits down (and walks around) with founder Matt Greitzer — yes, two Matts for the price of one — who traded 25 years of NYC marketing and advertising for full-time farm life and a whiskey business named after his twin sons.

Matt G. gives us the full grain-to-glass tour: the milling room, the mash tun, an echoey barrel room holding 610 barrels, and the difference between a hammer mill and a roller mill (it matters more than you'd think). We get into what makes New York whiskey distinct, the Empire Rye designation, why Matt's rye is naturally gluten-safe, and how climate shapes flavor from the Hudson Valley to Kentucky to Scotland. Then it's tasting time: the American Single Malt, the three-year rye, and the very limited Single Barrel Rye #8 — plus new vocabulary for your next tasting room visit, including "grapefruit pith" and "distiller's beer."

🥃 Special offer for Cidiot listeners: Silver Brothers is offering a complimentary tour and tasting, just like the one Cidiot took. Head to silverbrothers.com, select "Tours and Tastings," book a tour, add it to your cart, and enter the discount code CIDIOT at checkout to make it free. The offer is for first-time customers only and available for a limited time — so book soon.

And while you're at it, head to the Cidiot.com blog for a tasting guide so you can pour like a pro at home.

🎧 Episode Timestamps

• [00:00] Cold open — Matt Greitzer on New York's Empire Rye designation
• [01:10] Cidiot theme song
• [01:20] Intro: heading to Old Chatham and Silver Brothers Distillery
• [02:50] Matt Greitzer's roots in the area and the path back home
• [05:20] From wine hobbyist to whiskey distiller
• [06:50] Why whiskey: grain, water, and barrels all on one farm
• [08:20] The story behind the name "Silver Brothers"
• [10:00] Property history — from working sheep farm to distillery
• [11:00] Grain prep and the difference between malted and unmalted barley
• [11:40] How malting works
• [12:10] Inside the milling room — hammer mill vs. roller mill
• [14:40] The production room and the mash tun
• [15:20] Mashing in and converting starch to sugar
• [16:00] Fermentation and "distiller's beer"
• [17:10] How a pot still works and the science of distillation
• [19:30] 🎁 Silver Brothers listener promo — complimentary tour & tasting
• [20:10] Into the barrel house — 610 barrels aging
• [20:20] Where the barrels come from (cooperages and used bourbon barrels)
• [21:30] Terroir, climate, and how geography shapes whiskey flavor
• [23:30] What Empire Rye is and why it matters for New York whiskey
• [24:30] Advice for whiskey "cidiots" just getting started
• [25:50] The tasting begins
• [27:20] Tasting the American Single Malt
• [29:10] Tasting the three-year rye
• [29:40] Tasting the Single Barrel Rye #8
• [31:20] Where to find Silver Brothers whiskey now
• [32:20] Matt's vision for Silver Brothers' future

Thanks for listening to Cidiot®. Come visit. And thanks to guest editor Brett Barry of Silver Hollow Audio and host of Kaatscast: The Catskills Podcast.

Photo credit: John Gruen

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