Description: Founded in 2004, Great Lakes Distillery was the first licensed distillery in the State of Wisconsin. They are proud of their local roots and attention to quality as a small batch producer of premium spirits. They currently produce several products including vodka, gin, brandy, rum, whiskey and absinthe. Right now they are also selling their Pumpkin Seasonal Spirit that comes in at a heavy 90 proof.
One of the few free tours I've taken, Great Lakes Distillery does a nice job of promoting their tours separate from their sampling and bar business. For those wanting to do the sampling, it generally includes five to seven spirits that they produce, for a $5 fee. They have a very large sampling and bar area including an outside patio for when weather is more conducive to being outdoors. For those not wanting to take the formal guided tour of the production area, there are viewing windows across the back of the upper level where the sampling takes place.
I was the only person present to take the Monday 1:00pm tour, so it was very nice to have a one-on-one experience with my guide Bobbi. She was knowledgeable and very engaging . . . I thoroughly enjoyed my time with her.
When we got to the production level of the building, the first thing that struck me was just how small the total area was. In the NW corner was another sampling bar area with a few stand-up tables. The center of the room had the distilling pot and fermentation tanks. To the far east side of the open room was the enclosed (and locked) storage area that included filled oak barrels aging their whiskey and rum.
Given that the Great Lakes Distillery currently produces around 30,000 bottles a year, it shouldn't have been too surprising that they hand bottle, label and package everything they produce. I was surprised to see the bottle filling machine only work four at a time however. In this production area, there was a young lady opening cases of empty bottles, a man operating the bottle filler and a third person working the labeling machine.
You may be wondering what it means to be a "small batch" producer. The pot still used at Great Lakes Distilling has a maximum capacity of 70 gallons. As they look to approaching their production capacity, it will take roughly $500,000 to purchase another still plus fermentation tanks to replicate what they are currently using.
Throughout the tour, Bobbi emphasized that for them, it is more about making the best products possible and not maximizing revenues or profits. Of course, like any small business, their business model needs to make good financial sense but they are not going to cut corners or quality in order to make a dollar.
For anyone who has not been on a distillery tour, this tour does a very good job of explaining the process in an easy-to-understand manner. It was also interesting to learn about the locally produced ingredients that go into their spirits as well as the partnership they have with Lakefront Brewery for their Pumpkin Seasonal Spirit utilizing the mash they have as a by-product from their seasonal Pumpkin Lager.
One of the most interesting thing I learned during my time with Bobbi and the Great Lakes Distillery was the history of absinthe. Absinthe had been deemed illegal in the United States back in 1912 because it was blamed for irrational behavior by those who enjoyed the beverage. Medical professionals at the time blamed the grande wormwood for the adverse influence on humans, to include hallucinations and violent behavior. With better scientific data, the ban on absinthe was finally lifted in 2007 as long as the toxic component thujone found in grande wormwood is less than 10 PPM.
Great Lakes Distillery seems to have a very strong and loyal following in Milwaukee. They host a number of special events throughout the year. As an example, this coming Sunday they are having a benefit for the Hunger Task Force . . . the Third Annual Biggest Bloody Mary Party from 10am to 6pm. Admission is free with the donation of non-perishable food items. Guests will be entertained by the Klement's Famous Racing Sausages and raffle drawings throughout the day. Of course, there will also be those yummy Bloody Mary's served with a Klement's Beefstick at a price of just $5.
If you are considering a tour and tasting, be on the look-out for a GroupOn or Living Social offer. I was told that earlier this year they offered a 2:1 which kept folks very busy for several weeks.
More information including tour times, tasting room hours and special events may be found on their website: http://www.greatlakesdistillery.com/tourstastingsevents/tour-the-distillery/ .
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