ABOUT US AWESTRUCK

AT AWESTRUCK, THEIR NAME is their mission – they craft hard ciders that will leave you, well…awestruck! They have an insatiable thirst for tweaking, testing, and experimenting with apple varietals, yeast species, and botanical ingredients to push the boundaries of what hard cider can be. Their favorite comment from new taste testers? “Wow! This is hard cider?!” (Their second favorite comment is, “Where can I get more?!”).

Awestruck’s four flagships are each unique, yet approachable. Hibiscus Ginger is rose-colored, fizzy, and subtly spicy, like a tropical ginger ale; Apples & Pears is an easy-drinking fusion of fresh apple and juicy, succulent pear; Lavender Hops is crafted by steeping cider with pounds of culinary dried lavender and citrusy hop varietals, at once deeply aromatic and juicy; and Dry Apple + Oak captures the essence of artisanal fermentation – clean, faintly woody, subtly fruity, and deeply evocative of early autumn in Upstate New York.

After years spent working as contractors to fund their voracious appetite for travel and new taste discovery, Casey Vitti and Patti Wilcox returned to their hometown of Walton, NY, to found Awestruck in 2013. Inspired by the abundance of fresh, delicious apples throughout the Hudson Valley, they created Awestruck Ciders to blend their home region’s apple-growing heritage with their favorite flavors from around the world.

From their humble roots in a 2,000 square foot, renovated section of a local lumberyard, Awestruck has grown into an industrious team of 23 employees, collaboratively working on everything from building the bar in the taproom, to composing social media posts, to hand labeling each of their 750ml bottles.

Creating new limited and seasonal offerings, playing with new ingredients, and satisfying their thirst to experiment and produce new tastes and experiences is Awestruck’s true passion. They work with local orchardists and farmers and are proud to make all of their ciders from pure, fresh-pressed New York state apples—never from concentrate, and never watered down.

As part of a recent expansion, Awestruck opened a second taproom in Walton, NY – Awestruck Mill. You can also visit the 8,000 square-foot production facility and taproom in Sidney, NY, which has evolved into a cozy bar-restaurant with seventeen rotating taps of unique and limited offerings along with a variety of local craft beers. At the taprooms you can taste one-off ciders made one keg at a time, or enjoy a tasty cider cocktail. You can sit aboard the 1970s school bus situated adjacent to the bar and compose magnetic poetry on the walls and ceiling! Awestruck partners with rotating local restaurants and food trucks to satisfy hungry customers. Visit Thursday through Sunday, with tours and tastings available by appointment. Stay in the loop with everything Awestruck by following them on Facebook and Instagram, and check the website for information on where to find Awestruck in stores and at farmers markets and festivals throughout the year.

Meet The Owners

CASEY VITTI AND PATTI WILCOX

When Casey and Patti founded Awestruck, they set out to craft complex and captivating ciders. They had been enjoying ciders overseas for many years, and were excited by the new and different hard ciders cropping up throughout the US. From sweet and juicy, to dry and funky, and everywhere in between, they were captivated by the boundless variety of cider available. They saw cider as the perfect base from which to create their own blends and share their passion for unique drinks from around the world by incorporating botanicals like hibiscus, ginger, lavender, and hops.

While Casey and Patti were inspired by the broad variety, they understood how intimidating it could be to new cider drinkers. They wanted to help people discover this fun and exciting beverage—so they put descriptions and slider bars on every bottle to help each person pick their perfect hard cider right at the shelf.

The best part of being Awestruck? For Casey and Patti, it’s getting to work with a supportive network of people who love their products, and seeing their idea for a unique product sought out and enjoyed by patrons. They appreciate their hardworking team, suppliers, distributors, retailers, community, and the awe-inspiring customers who make what they love to do possible.