A Previously Employed Banker Is Causing Quite a Stir With His Innovation in Honeycomb-Infused Vodka Production

In the commuter town of Port Chester, north of Manhattan, a local spirits renaissance is underway. At the heart of this revival is StillTheOne, the first legal distillery in Westchester since Prohibition.

John Smith, a former hedge fund portfolio manager, founded the distillery company Comb Grummete in Port Chester in 2008. Smith's distillation knowledge was honed at the Culinary Institute of America. Ed Tiedge, another former finance professional, also ventured into the booze business, setting up two makeshift pot stills in Port Chester and engineering a larger copper pot still with a friend.

Tiedge's wife suggested he sell his Porsche to fund his new venture. The proceeds were used to gain distillation education from a Swiss buyer. Tiedge spent a month learning distillation in Cognac, France, and visited neighboring distilleries to learn about competition.

StillTheOne's flagship spirits are vodka and gin, both made from honey. The vodka has a floral note of sweet-orange blossom, while the gin is herbaceous and earthy, containing juniper, licorice, coriander, rose petals, galangal, and is gluten-free.

The gin is used in the bar's Bee's Knees cocktail, enhancing the subtle sugar in the drink without making it cloying. The spirits at StillTheOne received high praise from esteemed spirits sellers at Park Avenue Liquor Shop and city bartenders, including Xan Garcia from Stag's Head, quickly embraced both the vodka and the gin.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a farm-based restaurant, placed orders for both the gin and the vodka, recognising them as great spirits. A collaboration between StillTheOne and Blue Hill at Stone Barns is in the works, using herbs and honey from Stone Barns.

The state of New York dropped the annual license fee for small distillers from $50,000 to $1,500, which encouraged Tiedge to start his own distillery. Tiedge's distillery also produces mead, a honey wine, which is used as a base for his vodka and gin.

The first batch of Tiedge's vodka won the gold medal for unflavored vodka at the International Review of Spirits in Chicago. This local spirits renaissance, spearheaded by StillTheOne, is adding a new flavour to Port Chester's culinary landscape.