Photo courtesy of Twisted Path Distillery
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The city boasts several excellent distilleries, offering whiskey, rum, gin, vodka and more in distinct, uniquely Wisconsin flavors.
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Photo courtesy of Central Standard Craft Distillery
Central Standard Craft Distillery
Founded in 2014 by Pat McQuillan and Evan Hughes, Central Standard Craft Distillery is part of a busy food and drink manufacturing section of Walker’s Point that includes Clock Shadow Creamery, Anodyne Coffee, Indeed Brewing and (at the time) included Milwaukee Brewing Company next door. Since opening, Central Standard has outgrown its space and expanded to a second production building just west of the Marquette University campus on Clybourn Street. The bright, breezy taproom is still on Second Street, as are the distillery’s tours.
• Vodka is made from 100% rye in a low-reflux distillation process for a smooth, drinkable product (80 proof).
• Bourbon Whiskey is pot-distilled using a recipe from the 1800s. It’s aged less than two years in new charred oak barrels for a caramel flavor with a hint of rye spice. It’s also available as Cabernet Finished Bourbon rested in California Cabernet barrels (90 proof).
• Rye Whiskey is distilled with 95% rye and 5% corn for a complex, approachable, spicy flavor profile with a crisp finish (90 proof).
• Washington Rye is made using George Washington’s favorite recipe, with 60% rye, 35% corn and 5% malted barley (90 proof).
• New American Gin is distilled from a white wheat malt base for sweetness, then infused with six botanicals with only a light flavor of juniper (80 proof).
• Door County Cherry Vodka is made with Wisconsin cherries and honey for a little bit of sweetness (80 proof).
• Anodyne Coffee Vodka is a collaboration with Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company—a 100% rye vodka steeped with their coffee beans (80 proof).
• Kohler Chocolate Brandy is made in collaboration with the Kohler family. This chocolate brandy comes in dark chocolate and mint chocolate flavors; both have rich cocoa flavor with a bit of fruit and nut, with or without a punch of fragrant mint (70 proof).
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Great Lakes Distillery
616 W. Virginia St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204When Guy Rehorst founded Great Lakes Distillery in 2004, it was the first new distillery in Wisconsin since the Prohibition Era. Because there was so little distilling going on, Rehorst had to work to get a state law changed prohibiting distillers from operating tasting rooms or selling their own product. The law was changed in 2009, and that same year, Great Lakes Distillery opened their popular tasting room. Today you can get a number of cocktails, take a tour, purchase spirits and even have something to eat since a full kitchen was added. Despite their growing popularity, Great Lakes is still a small-batch distiller and uses Wisconsin products whenever possible.
• Rehorst Vodka is made exclusively with grain, including Wisconsin-grown red wheat and red wheat malt. Only the middle cut is bottled. A citrus and honey version is made with real fruit and local Wisconsin honey for just a hint of sweetness (80 proof).
• Rehorst Gin: Vodka is infused with nine botanicals, including sweet basil and Wisconsin-grown ginseng for earthiness (88 proof). Rehorst Barrel Reserve Gin is aged in oak barrels and released at a rate of one barrel per month (94 proof). Orchard Gin is made from 100% fruit distillate from cherries, apples and pears and is only available in very limited quantities (88 proof).
• Roaring Dan’s Rum has a hint of maple flavor, thanks to the addition of Wisconsin maple syrup before the second distillation. It’s then aged in charred white oak barrels and used bourbon barrels for a smooth finish (90 proof).
• Whiskey: Rehorst’s Kinnickinnic Whiskey is a blend of straight bourbon, malt and rye whiskey made onsite and bottled unfiltered (86 proof). Still & Oak labels come in straight bourbon and straight rye varieties (90 proof). Repeal Reserve Straight Rye Whiskey is aged for five years and is only released on the fifth day of December each year (the day Prohibition ended) (90 proof).
• Amerique 1912 Absinthe is available in verte and rouge. These absinthes are based on a pre-ban recipe that includes anise, wormwood and fennel (126 proof).
• Brightonwoods Apple Brandy is made entirely from apples from Wisconsin’s Brightonwoods orchard and is aged at least two years in charred oak and bourbon barrels (90 proof).
• Good Land Liqueurs has four liqueurs, including orange with spices, coffee, cranberry and Door County cherry (70 proof).
• Pumpkin Spirit is distilled with Lakefront Brewery’s Pumpkin Lager. This whiskey-like spirit ages in various types of wood and has hints of caramel, pumpkin and spice and is released each fall in a limited number of bottles (90 proof).
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Photo courtesy of Twisted Path Distillery
Twisted Path Distillery
2018 S 1st St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53207Whitefish Bay native Brian Sammons founded Twisted Path Distillery at the end of 2014. Previously, he worked in counter-intelligence in the CIA tracking Osama bin Laden and later became an attorney (no kidding!). Once he became a married family man with kids, he decided that having his own business was his (twisted?) path. A homebrewer, Sammons switched gears to distilling after he was diagnosed with celiac disease. All of the spirits he produces are gluten free and certified organic. You can visit Twisted Path’s tasting room and distillery at the Lincoln Warehouse for cocktails, flights and bottle purchases and to take a tour.
• Vodka is made with organic yellow corn from the Dolan family farm in Dodgeville, Wis., and distilled to have some character, as opposed to complete neutral (80 proof).
• White Rum uses a slow distillation process for a distinctive flavor in a light-bodied rum. Dark Rum is aged in whiskey barrels for a full body and complex character (90 proof).
• Gin is made by having 100-proof vodka infused with 11 organic botanicals, including honeybush, cinnamon and hops for a unique flavor. It’s also available in a barrel-rested version and aged in a bourbon barrel for around seven months (92 proof).
• Whiskey: Due to the relatively young age of the distillery, whiskey is still being tested and is released as it’s ready.
• Chai: The newest spirit in Twisted Path’s lineup, chai was released earlier this year. It’s made with their vodka, to which black tea, herbs, spices and cane sugar are added. Unlike similarly flavored spirits, it does not contain any cream, so it can be utilized in a wider range of cocktails or simply mixed with the dairy of your choice (80 proof).
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