Page 28 - Dutchess Tourism 2023

MY DUTCHESS STORY
Meet the Makers:
Go Behind the Scenes with Local Chefs, Distillers and Historians
Kevin Pike and Robin Touchet, Branchwater Farms, Milan
In Dutchess County, grain-to-glass beverage making
is the norm. However, Branchwater Farms Distillery in Milan extends this philosophy further by implementing regenerative farming techniques. Husband-and-wife duo Kevin Pike and Robin Touchet put back as much into the land as they take from it—heritage corn, wheat and other ingredients for a triple-distilled gin, flavorful fruit brandies and other spirits.
“What’s unique about our place, and specifically Northern Dutchess, is that we’re in this kind of valley which was carved out by a glacier...we have big chunks of sandstone, quartzite and shale in the bedrock here. So it’s great for drainage, which is ideal for crops,” Pike says. Milan is the headwaters for five major water groups in Dutchess County.
Older grain varieties like organic turkey red wheat and red fife wheat stand taller than modern grain, allowing Branchwater to grow without herbicides. Cover crops continuously inhabit the fields and provide “green manure.”
Other focuses like retaining water and fostering fungal expansion have rebuilt soil humus—the organic element of soil created by decomposing plant materials.
The couple acquired the farm in 2014. Touchet began raising Muscovy ducks and other fowl for eggs and meat, utilizing the Wappingers Creek and other surrounding waters. Leveraging two careers in wine sales, the couple developed a distillery concept.
Pike’s friend Hans Reisetbauer helped him “skip the
line” in learning the craft. Reisetbauer brings 30 years of experience and provided endless expertise from his home in Austria. During the pandemic, Pike assembled the distillery piece-by-piece with guidance through Zoom. Reisetbauer sent various mixes of organic botanicals, and they’d try
different recipes for their gin.
The end product is modeled after London Dry gin, with
a smooth balance of juniper with lemon balm, orange rind and other botanicals. Plus, onsite well water provides
a beautiful texture and mouthfeel. Local fruit shines in the apple and pear brandies, as well as the soon-to-
be-released black currant brandy. With a Taste Finder mobile passport (available at dutchesstourism.com/ finder), visitors to this pastoral destination receive a
tasting of two spirits and one cider.
Branchwater Farms is the only grocery store in the
town of Milan, and it serves as a marketplace for fine, handcrafted Hudson Valley products. “We really started to work with people with a similar ethos—whether it’s the farming aspect or people that are land-management responsible. The focus is really on quality,” Touchet says.
At the store, visitors can buy Montgomery Place Orchards jam and vinegar, dried black currants and syrup from Greg Quinn, Chaseholm Farms cheese and meat, Harney and Sons teas and other local goods. Branchwater Farms also produces their own raw honey, botanical soap, red/white wine vinegar and fermented hot sauces. “I think the Hudson Valley has
a bounty of quality products. It’s amazing to live in an area where there’s just so much to choose from,” Pike adds.
OUR FAVORITE DUTCHESS EXPERIENCES:
U-pick fruit at Greig Farm and Rose Hill Farm, flowers at Slow Fox Farm and Brittany Hollow, hikes at Wilcox Park and Tivoli Bays
Find out how to save on craft beverage tastings with Taste Finder on page 39.
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DUTCHESS COUNTY DESTINATION GUIDE