Good things come in small batches at Van Brunt Stillhouse, a Red Hook boutique distillery founded in 2012 by the husband and wife team Daric Schlesselman and Sarah Ludington. “I was an avid home brewer and distiller and my wife and I decided we wanted to own our own business,” Daric said.

The Stillhouse has since expanded their production to whiskey, rum, grappa and moonshine and offers weekend tours and tastings of their Bay Street space. “I love the magic of it all,” Derek said. “I love making good things that people appreciate.”

The below photos are part of a photo essay originally published in the Red Hook Star-Revue celebrating Labor Day and the neighborhood’s workers. Check out the entire photo essay here and more outtakes from the other neighborhood businesses here.