Hudson House & Distillery Was a Decade in the Making

This almost shouldn’t have happened, yet here we are,” says Charles Ferri. After almost a decade of work, Ferri and his business partner Paul Seres opened their long-awaited Ulster County destination distillery, Hudson House & Distillery, in 2021.

After a few years of planning, it was the West Park property that officially kicked the hospitality veterans’ dream into high gear. With over 27 acres, sweeping Hudson River vistas, and an impressive 28,000 combined square feet of space, it had everything they had been dreaming of in a location. “It was like we were casting a movie, and we needed to find our leading lady,” Seres explains. “We found the beauty of our leading lady right here.”

The property’s original manor house, an elegant 1800s Italian Renaissance Revival-style villa, was built by Archibald Russell in the 1850s. In the 1930s, a four-story brick monastery was added by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. In 2015, Ferri and Seres purchased the property, which had fallen into disrepair after the Congregation declared bankruptcy. They embarked on years of planning and gut renovations with the goal to transform the two buildings into a distillery, restaurant, event venue, and boutique hotel that honored their historic character.

Covid-related shortages ultimately led the business partners to do most of the work themselves, and the unexpected passing of their head distiller and local craft beverage royalty, Gable Erenzo, led to a crash course in learning how to assemble their massive German-made copper stills. “Everything that was thrown in front of us just made us want this more,” says Seres.

Today, visitors can finally experience the history of the property and all the work it took to open it to the public for the first time. Hudson House’s Black Creek small batch bourbons and ryes and Altair vodka are all crafted on-site using limestone-softened water from the property’s own artesian well. A New York gin, with notes of juniper, jasmine, and rose, will be released this summer.

Thursday through Sunday, guests can book a tour and private tasting, reserve a table at the restaurant, or stop by for a drink complete with panoramic views of the river and verdant valley below from the 4,000-square-foot deck. The bar specializes in curated cocktails whose mixers play well with the spirits, like a house-made bourbon maple syrup in the Old Fashioned.

“Food at distilleries has historically been a joke, so we wanted to step it up,” Ferri says. “Chef Max Renny brings a passion for food like we bring a passion for the distillery.” The menu is comforting, yet refined, featuring dishes such as a mezze platter, a Hudson House burger, and a 10-ounce New York strip.

Events at Hudson House are steeped in historic charm, with dining rooms and parlors that feature original parquet floors, vintage chandeliers, and elegant fireplaces aplenty. Pocket doors throughout the manor house close off rooms for private dinners, and bigger get-togethers occur on the 300-person riverview deck or inside the former monastery’s 5,000-square-foot, brick-and-hardwood ballroom. Downstairs is a speakeasy with a view into the distillery, a favorite for bridegrooms and their entourage. A bridal suite on the second floor is sunny and bright, perfect for day-of preparations.

Future plans include nine rooms in the manor house and 15 in the former monastery for overnight guests—the last stage of the property’s multi-year transformation. “Anyone can pour a spirit in a glass in any old bar,” Seres says. “Finding Hudson House created the opportunity to tell our story and offer a unique experience for our guests.”

This article appears in May 2024.