Laird & Company traces their history of applejack and cider production to William Laird, who immigrated from County Fife in Scotland to Monmouth County in 1698. He was among the early farmers to produce hard cider and “cyder spirits” (applejack) and is believed to have transferred his experience distilling scotch whiskey to colonial Monmouth County. 

The Laird family’s first formal steps in apple alcohol production occurred during the late 18th century and Revolutionary War period. Robert Laird (1758-1811) served in the Continental Army and he supplied applejack to George Washington and the troops when they were in the area preceding the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.  George Washington is believed to have written a letter to the Lairds requesting the applejack recipe to reproduce at his Mount Vernon plantation. 

The proposed project is to adapt the Laird & Company Distillery Barn into an educational space, tasting room, and event space. The Barn is currently unoccupied and in extremely poor condition. The proposed project would rehabilitate the existing Barn, construct a new addition, and involve minor site work to improve pedestrian access to the building including ADA accessibility.

The wood-frame, 2-story, multi-volume Barn was built from the late 18th century into the 19th century. It is at risk due to water infiltration and natural deterioration of original wood materials. The rehabilitation will adaptively reuse the Barn for educational spaces, tasting room, and event space, inviting the public to learn about historic apple liquor production in New Jersey. A new addition will create a revenue-generating event space in the region and highlight this heritage.