Jesse Sommer founded New Scotland Spirits in 2016 to distill "Helderberg Whiskies" from grains grown at the base of the Helderberg Escarpment in his native New Scotland, NY (Albany County). After leaving Active Duty military service in 2022, his team of childhood friends and former Army buddies began harvesting the barrels of single malt, rye, wheat, and bourbon whiskies that he'd aged for more th
an half a decade--and over the course of two combat deployments. In 2023, Rosemary Luppino McHugh joined the company to expand its commercial reach to higher end venues and thereby accentuate its spirits' unparalleled craftsmanship. In 2024, New Scotland Spirits launched its namesake Tasting Room at the corner of State and Lark Streets in Albany, New York's capital city. And today, despite being entirely entirely self-distributed, New Scotland Spirits--to include a vodka and gin--are now sold at more than 250 retail outlets throughout the Capital District, across the Mohawk and Hudson Valleys, and in cities ranging from Buffalo to New York City. New Scotland Spirits proudly boasts its bona fides as a woman- and veteran-owned business committed to the preservation of New Scotland's agrarian traditions.
