New Year. New Chapter.

As we move into 2023, it’s a good time to reflect on the year behind us with an eye on the future. There are so many achievements to celebrate just in the last year alone: easing into a post-Covid economy, celebrating 10 years of growth, and planning a significant expansion that will come to fruition next summer. 2022 was a year of tremendous achievement and pride for all of us at Black Button Distilling.

2023 isn’t just a new year, but also a new chapter in the Black Button Distilling story. And with this new chapter ahead of us, it’s important that we review and remind ourselves of how we got to this point. To keep us focused on our mission, we reaffirm our core values, or the SPIRITS of Black Button.

While SPIRITS is the internal mantra for our Distilling family, we would like to share it with our broader community. As we grow, the passion we pour into every bottle that we produce comes from our core SPIRITS of Black Button philosophy.  

The SPIRITS of Black Button

Sustainability • Passion • Integrity • Resourcefulness • Innovation • Tenacity • Skill

Sustainability 

We expect to be here for a long time; and we want the world to be here too. As a licensed Farm Distillery, we’re agriculturally dedicated to using as many local resources as possible. From locally sourced grains for our whiskeys to New York State dairy for Bourbon Cream, we support local farms and suppliers. Even our spent mash grains get repurposed back to the farm to feed their cows. Economically, we’re dedicated to the sustainability of our backyard business community. From the immediate Rochester area to the tips of New York State, we’re focused on the sustainability of the great state of New York. 

Passion

Our passion is our heartbeat, and it compels all that we do. Making spirits isn’t easy. It takes time, talent, skill and above all – passion. What moves us to get up each day and keep making our quality spirits is passion. Passion for our brands. Passion for our community. Passion for our Black Button family.

Integrity

We do what’s right, even when it’s hard. There are plenty of ways to cut corners in this business. We make our spirits literally from grain to glass. We’re honest with our customers, our retail partners and ourselves. It’s important to have respect for the process and for one another. For example, we recently completed the process for our products to be certified kosher. We waited until the process was entirely complete before we labeled our products as kosher, because we didn’t want to make the claim until the entire process was approved. Due diligence and integrity in labelling is essential to our core values

Resourcefulness

We figure it out, no matter the challenge. When you’re a distillery and life gives you a pandemic … you make hand sanitizer! Faced with the seemingly insurmountable challenges of navigating an economy that was nearly shutdown as well as maintaining the health and safety of our employees, customers, and partners, we persevered. We successfully pivoted from making fine spirits, to making hand sanitizer to keep us all safe.

Innovation

We like to shake things up! We welcome employee suggestions and input on everything from our daily business practices to the cocktails we serve in the Tasting Room. The very way that we distill is a testament to innovation. Our Rochester Style Column-to-Pot-to-Column distillation process is unique to us. It was designed and implemented by our own team and hasn’t been replicated anywhere else. For more on our innovative Rochester Style process, go to: https://blackbuttondistilling.com/rochester-style

Tenacity 

We welcome each new hurdle life brings us. We must. Whether it’s a crippling pandemic, an uncertain economic environment, an ever-crowded competitive landscape or evolving restrictive governmental regulations, there are plenty of hurdles distillers face each day. The combination of our inherently tenacious attitude, passion and resourcefulness gives us the wherewithal to take on any challenge that arises.    

Skill

Success in any business requires a balance of talent, energy, intuition, and skill. We pride ourselves in having a group of extremely talented and skilled professionals in their respective areas of the business. Head Distiller Jeff Fairbrother and Founder and Master Distiller Jason Barrett have the highest levels of certifications in the distilling industry and are the 2nd and 4th Americans to be installed in the prestigious London-based Worshipful Company of Distillers Gin Guild. 

So let’s Raise a Glass.

Words to live and work by. At Black Button Distilling, we are committed to delivering on our promise of producing and delivering world class spirits and delivering the SPIRTS of Black Button to you. We look forward to serving our customers and partners in the New Year and beyond. So raise a glass with us – to times past and times coming … cheers!