"Most of the staff escaped through the tunnels," he said.
When the renovation process began, he said he worked with archaeologists to ensure the tunnels and bunkers were not just structurally sound enough to welcome guests for tours below what would eventually become the modern distillery, but so that history was preserved.What's more, the illegal distillery was operated by a legendary American gangster, who is rumored to have left treasure buried somewhere on the land, Schlein said.
"One of the stories that gets bandied about is that Dutch Schultz, before he died, reportedly buried a treasure somewhere in Upstate New York, a chest of gold coins and bonds," Schlein said."The figure that gets tossed around is somewhere around $6 million in value."Beyond Harvest Homestead, some treasure seekers believe the loot may be hidden in the Catskill Mountains where
"It's distilled like a vodka, so it's essentially a brown-sugar vodka," he said, adding that the result is a much sweeter, more neutral, clean spirit than what is typically associated with moonshine. Other modern touches Schlein added include a set of solar panels on the roof of the main barn and another set on a smaller building on the land, which he said provide"more or less enough [energy] to feed the electrical needs of the site."