BY JENNIFER & JOHN BURKHART
In June, you’re likely thinking about Father’s Day, summer fun, and whether or not your A/C unit will hold out in the temps to come. As you search for summer fun indoors and a cool gift for Dad, a distillery tour might just check all the boxes. Even if you’re not a brandy or whiskey connoisseur going in, an enjoyable tasting and chat with a distiller might have you one step closer to being one when you leave! Plus, choosing products from local distillers can mean cleaner ingredients to have you drinking responsibly in more ways than one.
She Said: Even though I’m not a beverage nerd, I still found the distillery experience to be interesting and fun! Andy, the head distiller at our location of choice, was very knowledgeable and happy to indulge our curiosity. He explained how they source local, organic ingredients as much as possible, and the challenges that often come with that task (like a bad fruit crop). This small operation produced brandy (made from fruit), whiskey (made from grain), and liqueurs, all from just one still and for local distribution only. I’ll admit, my experience with these spirits is limited to a sip here or there and from watching snooty people drink these spirits from fancy rocks glasses in movies. Turns out you don’t need a fat wallet to drink brandy, but you do need some tough taste buds. We got to try eight different spirits, and this is where the real fun began. The brandy and whiskey are definitely made for slow sipping. My favorites were the aged pear brandy (smoother than the fresh pear) and the dark roast straight rye whiskey, because I liked the notes of coffee and chocolate. The sweet liqueurs were fun to try, and I imagined how they could make a tasty cocktail. I’ve never heard of “haskap berry” liqueur before, let alone tasted it, before this visit. Distilled from local wine, with added juice and sugar, it was very floral, yet sweet and sour at the same time — yum! I’m glad we ventured out of our comfort zone — these drinks are less mysterious to me now, and it was fun to see how a small business is making great strides to do right by the community and the Earth.
He Said: I got to pick this month’s adventure, so I signed us up for a tour at a nearby distillery because I enjoy whiskey, bourbon, and brandy with the enthusiasm of a 17th-century pirate — but I have little-to-no idea how they’re made or what the difference is between them. Our tour guide, the head distiller of this particular establishment, was a cross between hipster and mad scientist, so I knew I was going to get some excellent information. I asked him an absurd amount of questions, and he answered every one: What is brandy? “Brandy is made from fruit only.” What’s the difference between whiskey and bourbon? “Whiskey and bourbon are basically the same thing, but they’re named differently because of regional copyrights.” What makes your distillery more planet friendly? “We source our ingredients as locally as possible and use organic whenever we can.” What’s the worst alcohol you tried to make? “Watermelon brandy. It tasted like spoiled watermelon.” What’s the fastest land animal? “The cheetah.” Meanwhile, he poured us eight samples that ranged from what smelled like pear-scented paint thinner to honey berry haskap liqueur and everything in between. My favorites were the dark roast rye whiskey — that was almost chocolatey — and the Nocino that hit my taste buds like a jazz solo — unexpected but weirdly good. It was a green walnut whiskey with notes of vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. It was like the holidays for my taste buds. I would recommend this experience to anyone over 21. Come for the booze, stay for the unearned education in distilling spirits.
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