Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the On Premise Licensing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Great Jones Distillery seeks full on‑premise privileges; community board objects to late hours and private events
Summary
Great Jones Distillery asked the SLA for an on-premise (OP) expansion allowing later hours, private events and broader drink selections. Community Board 1 opposed extended late hours and DJs at ticketed/private events; commissioners pressed both sides on enforceability and proposed compromises including limits on private events and commitments on New York-made products.
Great Jones Distilling Co. spent much of the Aug. 6 hearing defending a request to expand its on‑premise hospitality program to include longer general hours, more private events and a wider menu of spirits. Nicholas Bergman, the applicant’s attorney, and director-of-hospitality Andrew Albigese described the business as a distillery with tourism, tours and hospitality functions and said expanded offerings were needed to make the operation financially viable.
Community Board 1, represented by Donna Raftery, objected to 2 a.m. general hours on multiple nights, to the use of DJs and to as many as 52 private events per year that could turn the venue into a de facto catering or nightclub space. "We are opposed to the application," Raftery said, citing crowding, late-night activity and potential loss of the distillery’s unique purpose. Applicants offered a range of concessions during the hearing (reducing nights to Thursday–Saturday for late hours, limiting the number and timing of private events, and committing to a menu heavy with New York State products), and the board discussed possible stipulations and enforcement mechanisms. Commissioners stressed clarity in stipulations and the need for enforceable controls on private events and outdoor impacts.
