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Cellarmen's Folly Whiskey Co. opened for the first time Friday evening, offering cocktails, charcuterie and more at its 124 York St. facility. Due to the company's license from the New York State Liquor Authority, that's also the only place customers — including liquor stores and bars — will be able to purchase Cellarmen's whiskeys. The first, a chai fusion corn whiskey, is scheduled to release in January. 

The company is owned and operated by Nick Streeter, of Auburn, Caleb Liber, of Skaneateles, and Colin Chilbert, of Syracuse, who started Cellarmen's Folly after years of experimenting with barrel-aging and flavoring whiskeys in Streeter's basement. That, along with the "Seward's Folly" epithet for the purchase of Alaska engineered by Auburnian William H. Seward, inspired the company's name.

The owners had just obtained their Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau permit and were beginning to work on their State Liquor Authority permit when COVID-19 began in March 2020. A fundraiser they launched that month wound up paying rent, electricity and other bills. Meanwhile, the pandemic cost Chilbert and Streeter their day jobs, the latter told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ Friday.

"We put everything on hold a year," he said. "It was kind of a wash."

The company's federal permit, however, allowed it to begin making small batches of experimental whiskey. Realizing that, and looking for an opportunity to generate income, the owners created an account on Patreon, the popular subscription-based content platform. There, Cellarmen's Folly has offered not only whiskey samples but a newsletter, a podcast and even cocktail classes on Zoom.

The classes, which are available at a subscription tier of $20 a month, seem to have more participants every time, Streeter said. He and the owners deliver the cocktail ingredients personally. The Patreon itself has about 35 subscribers, having recently grown beyond friends and family. By the end of last year, their support had brought Cellarmen's Folly back to the brink of opening its doors.

The sale of their building and the slow pace of the State Liquor Authority, due to the pandemic, were the last major obstacles for the company's owners. In October, they received their permit.

Streeter, Liber and Chilbert are now aging three whiskeys at their facility. Following the chai will be a bourbon-style whiskey called Auburn Reserve and a java rye whiskey made with beans from local roaster Simple Roast Coffee Co. Cellarmen's Folly — which is more of a blendery than a distillery — produces whiskey by aging, flavoring and proofing down corn distillate. Batches are about 45 gallons.

While whiskey is the company's specialty, vodka, gin and other spirits from producers like 1911 in LaFayette and Last Shot in Skaneateles will be available in cocktails at Cellarmen's Folly for drinking there or to go. There will also be charcuterie boards, including vegan options with cheese from PMA Foods in Syracuse. The tasting room has seating for 15 people, and plenty more standing room.

About 100 bottles of the chai whiskey will be released in January, and Streeter expects them to sell out soon. As Cellarmen's Folly finds its footing, he hopes to capitalize on the buzz he and Liber have built about their whiskey at local bars they play with their band, My So-Called Band. He also hopes to offer tastings at farmers markets, as the company's permit allows, and eventually full distilling.

"Our goal for 2023 is to be in as many stores and bars as possible," he said. "We're excited to finally be able to show our product."