John Curtin and Jesse Sommer, owners of the Albany Distilling Company and New Scotland Spirits, respectively, are two aspiring “whiskey magnates” situated here in Albany County. Sommer claims his company wouldn’t exist without the encouragement and technical assistance Curtin has provided him, but Curtin insists he’s just paying forward the support he once received from … Read more
Readers will be forgiven for assuming I’ve been assigned “the New Scotland Spirits beat.” After all, I wrote three articles about the company last year, and I’m already kicking off 2024 with another. Yet New Scotland Spirts may well be New York State’s most dynamic craft distilling outfit, and I’ve watched from the front row … Read more
“Like every single veteran in every single city in every single state, I cringe when people thank me for my service,” says Jesse Sommer, a former U.S. Army paratrooper and founder of Albany County-based New Scotland Spirits. “The gratitude doesn’t fit. Like, yeah I saw some shit. But I also made it home, got paid … Read more
Mead and Meat, Wine and Whiskey, Beer and Bands Jesse Sommer, founder of Albany County-based New Scotland Spirits, is no stranger to the pages of True Brew Magazine. That’s no accident. As part of a deliberate strategy to generate awareness for his company’s products, Jesse has postured his company to participate in any (every) event … Read more
Halfway through a decade-long military career, Albany County native Jesse Sommer—then a U.S. Army paratrooper and officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps—had an epiphany: his place of duty was at home. “My mother had been diagnosed with a degenerative illness, my sisters started having babies, and after bouncing around America from one duty station … Read more