As Camden Winkelstein samples his distillery’s Spanish-style gin and tonic, he can’t help but marvel at the beverage packed with fresh botanicals.
“All the flavors continue to increase as you sip,” he says. “The drink changes while you drink it.”
In Hillsborough, Winkelstein and his team serve a catalog of hand-crafted cocktails at Bellemara Distillery. Located on the 19-acre Carriage Farm, the venue opened in late 2021. All the alcohol served there is made on-site.
Inside, Winkelstein does all the distilling himself. Because whiskey takes time, Bellemara, for the time being, serves single malt spirits, all distilled in-house. In February, the first barrels of Bellemara whiskey were filled, and in two years, the batch will be ready to drink.
Camden Winkelstein opened Bellemara Distillery in Hillsborough in 2021. Photo courtesy of Shilpa Iyer Photography
“Nothing we’re doing here is stuff you couldn’t do at home,” Winkelstein says. Guests can bring home their own bottles of Bellemara spirits and replicate their favorite flavor profiles they discover in the tasting room by adding the herbs, spices, fruits and syrups they enjoy most.
The cocktails at Bellemara, including the carefully crafted gin and tonic, are as delicious as they are beautiful. They are prepared by bartender and co-distiller Faye Johnson and tasting room manager Russell Aagenes. The circle-shaped bar is stocked with fresh herbs and spices; you can smell them as soon as you step inside the distillery.
Made with a Bellemara single malt spirit, pomegranate grenadine, lime and aromatic bitters, the Rose Gold cocktail has become “incredibly popular,” Winkelstein says. That took him and his staff “by surprise. It was just a drink that clicked with people.”
The Bellemara menu offers guests an opportunity to make their own cocktail, with add-ins including herbs and spices, fruits and syrups. Featured cocktails include mulled cider, hot buttered barley and the newest addition, Irish Coffee. Like the spirits, the syrups are made at Bellemara. Patrons can learn how both are made in exclusive classes and on tours.
Bellemara—a word Winkelstein made up, meaning “beauty of the sea”—harkens back to his time in the Navy and in Scotland. Returning home after seven years of service, Winkelstein sought a job in a local Jersey brewery. Unable to find one within a reasonable commute, he took the leap to education.
After a year in Scotland, Winkelstein earned a Master’s degree in brewing and distilling and headed back to Jersey. Inside Bellemara, photographs from his time abroad, as well as images of Carriage Farm—featuring a roaming goat—can be found. They were taken by his wife, Christina Lee, who heads the distillery’s social media.
Winkelstein and Lee’s 2-year-old daughter, Emma, can often be seen running around the distillery. “She is a big fan of taste-testing all the fresh berries,” Winkelstein notes.
Upstairs, guests can find a casual meeting place. Stocked with couches, chairs and an electric fireplace, the space can also be used for private events.
Heading into warmer weather, Winkelstein will open the outdoor patio, serving more guests and adjusting to a more crowded Bellemara—all while educating customers on the in-house production that goes into the drinks.
“It’s all about showcasing what craft distilling is, especially grain-to-glass,” Winkelstein says. “It’s what I think is the most important.”
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