Tasting Room Lead
Silver Brothers Spirits Company — Old Chatham, NY
Part-time, approximately 24–32 hours per week
About Silver Brothers
Silver Brothers is a whiskey distillery and farm in Old Chatham, New York. We grow rye and barley in our fields, then mill, mash, distill, and age our whiskey here on the farm.
We began distilling in 2023, and our first releases are now making their way into the world, including a three-year rye, a three-year American single malt, and limited releases of single-barrel and finished whiskeys.
We are still a small company, which means everyone plays a meaningful role in the business. As our Tasting Room Lead, you will be the first person many visitors meet—and a large part of how they come to understand Silver Brothers.
The Role
You will take ownership of the tasting room and the experience visitors have from the moment they arrive through the relationship we build with them afterward.
Some guests will have decades of whiskey experience. Others may be tasting whiskey seriously for the first time. What they tend to share is a curiosity about how our whiskey is made, where it comes from, and what makes it distinctive.
Your job is to make that story come alive, help each visitor find the right experience or bottle, and turn a first visit into an ongoing connection with Silver Brothers.
What You’ll Do
- Welcome visitors and lead engaging tastings and tours.
- Tell the story of our farm, grain, production process, and whiskey in a way that is informative without feeling rehearsed.
- Help guests choose the right bottle and confidently, graciously close the sale.
- Invite visitors who want to stay connected to join our email list. This is an important part of the role and one of the areas we will measure.
- Introduce guests to our Founding Membership program, launching this fall, and help grow membership.
- Run the tasting room day to day, including opening and closing, POS, inventory, glassware, cleanliness, and presentation.
- Create a room that feels warm, organized, and inviting—somewhere people want to spend time.
- Help execute events, including seated tastings for approximately 15–20 guests and several larger tented events each year.
- Assist in outreach, relationship building and development of tasting room events with complementary businesses in the hospitality, culinary and craft industries
- Share what you hear from visitors: what they respond to, what confuses them, what they ask for, and what they wish we carried.
You will contribute photographs, stories, observations, and ideas from the tasting room, and we want your perspective. Though brand strategy, advertising, and public relations will remain with our founder and PR partner your input into these areas is a key part of the role.
Who We’re Looking For
We care much more about how you connect with people than how much you already know about whiskey.
We can teach you our mash bills, fermentation process, barrel program, and the history of the farm. We are looking for someone who genuinely enjoys meeting new people, can read a room, and knows how to make visitors feel comfortable and welcome.
Required
- Meaningful hospitality or customer-facing experience in a restaurant, bar, hotel, winery, brewery, retail shop, gallery, farm stand, or similar environment. Titles matter less than your ability to make people feel welcome.
- Comfortable speaking to a group of six or eight people you have never met, while also being able to spend time with one guest who wants to go deeper.
- Naturally curious and interested in learning about agriculture, fermentation, distillation, barrel aging, and whiskey.
- Comfortable asking for the sale and inviting guests to share their email address.
- Reliable, organized, and able to work independently. On some shifts, you may be the only person in the building.
- Available on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekends are our busiest time, and October through December is our peak season.
- At least 21 years old.
- Able to remain on your feet for extended periods, navigate stairs, and lift a case of whiskey weighing approximately 35 pounds.
Helpful, but Not Required
- WSET, BarSmarts, Certified Specialist of Spirits, or a similar credential—or an interest in earning one.
- Experience running ticketed events or coordinating private group bookings.
- Familiarity with the food, wine, lodging, and hospitality scene in the Hudson Valley and Berkshires. Visitors frequently ask us where they should go next.
Schedule and Seasonality
The role will generally average 20–28 hours per week. From May to December we expect the majority of those hours to be active tasting room management.
From January through April, we expect a slower pace in the tasting room and hours may shift with more time devoted to planning, member outreach, training, and preparing for the spring season.
There is also room to grow. As the tasting room expands, this role may develop into managing a team and overseeing a broader hospitality program. Our preference is to promote someone who already knows the room, the whiskey, and our customers rather than hire over them.
Compensation and Benefits
- $22–$28 per hour, depending on experience.
- Quarterly bonus tied to measurable areas you can directly influence, including tasting room sales, visitor email signups, and membership enrollment. Targets will be clear and achievable.
- A generous employee discount and staff allocations of selected releases.
- Company-paid spirits certification for an employee interested in pursuing one.
Pay: $22.00 - $28.00 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
