We recently noticed a Facebook post on the Adirondack Mountain News page.
"William H. H. Murray wrote his celebrated book in the spring of 1869 to introduce city dwellers to the rewards of camping in the wilderness. Thousands of tourists streamed to the Adirondacks that summer in what was known as "Murray's Rush." Unfortunately, most had not read the book carefully, and that summer was unusually wet and cold. The result was an enormous outcry against Murray and his "lies," to which he responded with vigor in an article published in the New-York Daily Tribune on October 23, 1869. "

One of the pages followers asked if they knew what Murray's response was. We didn't see anything posted there yet... but we know what it was!

Murray's Response:
Six months after the book's publication and following his return from vacation in the Adirondacks that summer, W.H.H. (“Adirondack”) Murray replied publicly to his detractors in a published letter  “The Adirondacks: Murray on Murray’s Fools; Reply to His Calumniators.” In his response, Murray defended the Adirondacks and his book, forecasting that one day “hotels will multiply, cottages will be built along the shores of its lakes, white tents will gleam amid the pines which cover its islands and hundreds of weary and over-worked men will penetrate the Wilderness to its inner-most recesses. And find amid its solitude health and repose.” Murray did not hesitate to go after the wealthy sportsmen who, finding “their wilderness” the subject of great public interest due to Murray’s book, stood behind many of the criticisms cast at Murray and Adventures in the Wilderness. In that same October 1869 article, Murray wrote: “I have no sympathy at all with those two or three hundred gentlemen who would selfishly monopolize the Adirondack Wilderness for their own exclusive amusement and benefit. Indeed I do not look at the Wilderness as belonging to sportsmen or any class; it belongs to the country at large….It is, and is to be regarded in the future, a place to which not only the artist, and the lover of nature in her grandest aspects, but the business man and the professional man, weary and jaded by months and years of over-work can go and find in its recesses rest and recuperation for body and mind… This, as it seems to me, is the true use of the wilderness, and its value to the country at large.”

In just a few days, people from around the country will pour into the Adirondacks to view a once in a lifetime total solar eclipse. There are no more rooms to be found for the event and local governments have declared states of emergency in order to properly address the impact of the influx of visitors to the New York mountains. Arguably, the last time the Adirondacks saw such a sudden surge in transient population was the Murray Rush that began in the summer of 1869.

One hundred and fifty-five years ago, W.H.H. Murray’s book, Adventures in the Wilderness, brought waves of people from the newly industrialized eastern cities looking for the tranquil and restorative wilderness of the Adirondacks that Murray popularized. When it began, lodging in the mountains for these new nature seekers was nearly nonexistent, but when the Murray Rush came to an end roughly five years later, hotels and camps had begun to flourish in the Adirondacks.

Those travelers that arrive in the Adirondacks on April 8, 2024 are direct beneficiaries of Murray’s call to nature and the “fools” that followed him.

It has been a little more than four months since our soft opening at the new facility at Hoffman's Ferry in Glenville, and what a welcome our craft distillery has received from the community!

Meeting our neighbors and making new friends has been very exciting.  Every weekend new guests and return visitors enjoy craft cocktails and local brews in our beautiful tasting room and learn about our Adirondack heritage and craft adventures. 

Now spring is (technically) here and I am looking forward to our guests soon enjoying our outside facilities including fire pits, picnic tables and games throughout the spring, summer and fall.  We are working hard to ensure that our outside areas are as beautiful as our inside facility and ready to go once the warm weather arrives. 

In the meantime, thank you to all who have stopped by and welcomed Murray's Fools to Glenville.  We look forward to sharing many adventures with all of you.

Sarah posted a Facebook memory recently recalling our celebration when we received our Farm Distillery License from New York State back in 2016. Over the last five years, our little distillery has continued to grow each year and our products have expanded from just vodka to vodka, aquavit, whiskey and apple brandy.  We are so grateful for our many supporters and customers.

Now, a new adventure is beginning. This year, we will be expanding. In a few months we will be opening a new premises located in Glenville, New York at the historic Hoffman’s Ferry site. Our new site will have a large, welcoming tasting room, outdoor seating and a fantastic production space. A few months after we arrive, construction of the new home of Adirondack Barrel will begin on the same property.  This will allow visitors to learn first-hand how barrels are made, in addition to touring our craft distillery and tasting our spirits. We are thrilled to be part of this amazing and unique experience.

Stay tuned for more details. We are excited to see you in Glenville!

Sarah and I were recently horrified to see our pictures online with a caption that included “Master Distillers.”  While we deeply appreciated the publicity, that title is one we both avoid like the plague.  Why?  Quite simply, we are not master distillers.

The term “master distiller” is thrown around very casually these days, and, therefore, has largely become meaningless. In reality, the term is fairly new in the distilling industry.  A few decades ago it was hardly used.  While today it’s a commonly used term,  no one seems to be able to agree on what it actually means. 

Here is my simple analysis.  When used as an adjective, as in this case, “master” means highly skilled or proficient. Distilling is both an art and a science. As such it takes years of experience to become a highly skilled and proficient distiller.

Sarah and I are very good at what we do, but nowhere near ready to declare ourselves highly skilled, proficient distillers. With luck and hard work, that status may come after many, many years of distillery work; but after four years in the business – we aren’t even close to mastery.

To me, individuals, such as Jimmy Russell, Elmer Lee and Booker Noe, each with decades in the distilling business, are true master distillers. The rest of us strive to learn each day and stay on the path to excellence.