Claremont Distillery and The Ties to Bernardsville, New Jersey

Distilling Revival across New Jersey and a Renaissance

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Distilling In the News

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Bernardsville’s Tim Koether & Craft Distilling

Today, thanks to the diligence of a few key individuals, some Somerset Hills residents are pioneers of New Jersey’s revived craft-distilling industry. Noteworthy Somerseters like Tim Koether of Bernardsville, owner of Claremont Distillery is a pioneer of craft distilling in New Jersey.

Claremont Distillery was founded in 2014 by Tim Koether alongside his head distiller, Chris DeGasperis. Koether is a Bernardsville resident and grew up in nearby Far Hills. The distillery’s name was based on George B. Post’s famous Claremont estate, which was an original home to the early Bernardsville “Mountain Colony”. Claremont in Bernardsville was named after the Claremont estate along the Hudson River, which was part of the world George Post grew up in and was a well-known landmark in upper Manhattan during his youth.

While there is no town named Claremont in County Clare, the name itself is rooted in the western Irish county. It combines ‘Clare’ with the French ‘mont,’ meaning ‘mount’ or ‘hill,’ a style popular in the early 1800s. Irish immigrant Michael Hogan, who owned Bernardsville mountain property in 1804, likely chose the name as a tribute to his homeland, giving rise to the Claremont name that lives on today in Claremont Distilled Spirits. As Koether noted, ‘Claremont also speaks of something exceptional, and that is what we aspire our products to be.’” Tim named his distillery Claremont to honor the historic “Claremont” name tied to the estate of George Browne Post, reflecting both its local heritage roots and his goal of creating something exceptional with a name that already carried distinction.

Hear Tim Tell His Story

In this episode of the Distillery Nation Podcast, we talk to Tim Koether from Claremont Distillery. They talk about stuffing your business right and what it takes to be in this business.

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Listen to the interview:

Tim Koether is the founder and CEO of Claremont Distilled Spirits in Fairfield, New Jersey, a Far Hills Country Day School Class of 1978 graduate, and a former Wall Street hedge fund manager who spent more than 20 years in finance before settling in Bernardsville and launching his distillery.

A defining chapter in his story came during times of crisis, when memories of September 11 attacks and the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic helped inspire him and his family to pivot production from spirits to hand sanitizer, donating supplies to communities in need with the hands on support of his wife Janet and their children Anna and James, an effort that earned national recognition including a $10,000 award from Mike Rowe on the show Return the Favor.

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New Jersey Act No.1464 –  The Craft Distillers Act

What many people didn’t understand was that there were major legislative hurdles that needed to be cleared before any distillery could fire up in New Jersey. Well, that changed in 2022.

New Jersey’s Act 1464 concerning distilling licenses were sponsored by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (Hunterdon and Mercer), Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (Bergen and Passaic), and Assemblyman John Dimaio(Hunterdon, So, according to the law, you also need to get 51% of your ingredients from New Jersey and pay a $938 licensing fee for a yearly craft distillery license (or one of three other types of distilling licenses).

Finally, on January 17, 2012, Governor Chris Christie signed a bill into law that reduced the annual distilling registration fee from $12,500 to $938, the same fee the state charges for microbreweries. This law also enabled the craft distilling industry to conduct sales, tastings, and tours in New Jersey. A year later, in February 2013, the state issued its first distilling license, allowing Jersey Artisan Distilling to begin distilling up to 20,000 gallons/year since the Prohibition. The law would also clarify the rules governing on-site public sampling, allowing micro-distillers to pour up to three half-ounce samples per person per day, and Tim’s dream of a New Jersey distillery could now become a reality.

Today – Destination Claremont – farm-to-glass Production

Claremont Distilled Spirits produces vodka (potato, peach, blueberry), moonshine, and eventually whiskey. Their “Claim to Fame” is their vodka, the only product produced in the state to win a gold medal at the SF World Spirits competition, the preeminent spirits competition in the world. It also received a 93-point rating from Wine Enthusiast, eclipsing Tito’s, Grey Goose, Ketel One, Stolichnaya, and Absolute. Another big one is an un-oaked whiskey, more commonly known as Moonshine, an 80% proof spirit distilled from local corn. Just like vodka, whiskey comes off the still at 155% proof before being “polished down” to its double-distilled, drinkable ABV.

The “Jersey Devil Flaming Cinnamon” Moonshine refers to the Pine Barrens legend of the Jersey Devil, a mythical creature known for its notoriety. As for Claremont’s next distilling product, they plan to begin their first bourbon distillation this week. Claremont Distilled Spirits plans to do several different bourbons and whiskies. “Our goal, Koether, “is to ultimately have a facility that is both a destination and a provider of many of our ingredients. We are all about New Jersey and want to integrate as much of the Garden State’s agriculture as possible.” When asked what Tim’s credo is, he replied: “You have got to take chances to do something great”. We agree! So Tim’s vision includes a move, hopefully to Hunterdon County, in the future. Well, that move did come.

As demand grew, Claremont outgrew its Fairfield, New Jersey roots and made a strategic move to Hamburg in Sussex County, transforming from a startup distillery into a full-scale destination. Today, its larger facility allows for expanded production, tastings, and public events, reflecting the broader evolution of the state’s craft spirits industry. What began as a small operation enabled by legislative change has matured into one of New Jersey’s notable distilling success stories—a clear line from policy to place, and from local experiment to regional attraction.

New Jersey has a deep history of distilling spirits that goes back to colonial times. The Somerset Hills is an area in central New Jersey’s Somerset County, comprising six similar towns, villages, and hamlets. Those towns that comprise the Somerset Hills are Bedminster, Bernards Township (Basking Ridge), Bernardsville, Far Hills, Peapack & Gladstone. Being from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, I have read accounts that, even after the founding of Bernards Township in 1760, Governor Sir Francis Bernard made commitments to supplement King George’s coiffeurs with spirits from the colonial area. So distilling was alive and well in the hills in the mid-1700s!

New Jersey Distillers & Craft Brewers Interactive Map

We left this map up so that you can see the expansion of distilling in New Jersey over the past decade. It’s incredible growth.

The Distillation Process

First of all, distilling, or distillation (where “still” comes from), is a process. It’s also a science (alchemy, chemistry). Distillation has a long history going back to the 1st Century. Archaeological evidence indicates that the actual distillation of beverages began in the Jin and Southern Song dynasties in China. Aristotle talked about it in his Meteorologica. The bottom line – it’s been going on for a while.

ack to the 1st Century. Archaeological evidence indicates that the actual distillation of beverages began in the Jin and Southern Song dynasties in China. Aristotle talked about it in his Meteorologica. The bottom line – it’s been going on for a while.

The Complete Distiller: Every aspect is covered, from first principles to a clear explanation of the science behind it all. Every type of small still is described in detail, from the simplest

Distillation is“purifying a liquid by heating and cooling, separating the component substances from a liquid mixture by selective evaporation and condensation.” Distillation is widely used in industries that refine oil, desalinate water, create liquor, beer, and wine, and produce many chemical products used in homes and factories. We’re going to focus on liquor, the industrial version, not the home version. Alcoholic beverages are produced by the distillation of a mixture produced from alcoholic fermentation. Spirit refers to a distilled beverage containing no added sugar and at least 20% alcohol by volume (ABV). Since this is interactive – see what Adam Rogers says about his book PROOF, The Science of Booze:

That Constitutional Prohibition Era

We can’t talk about distilling and spirits in America without discussing the Prohibition era (1920-1933). So, we present the History Channel’s overview of Prohibition. It just goes to prove that you shouldn’t mess with perfection. That constitution is pretty solid.

The Somerset Hills area is rich in German, Dutch, and Scottish heritage. A few noted family names held strong to the distilling practice. For both libations and fuel, the names included locals such as the Melicks, Mellicks, Bunns, and others who have been distilling since the early 1800s. You see, the area was an orchard paradise, namely apples and peaches. Orchards were abundant in the area and used as a key ingredient for distilling alcohol.

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