Great Lakes Distillery

Kinnickinnic Whiskey wins “Best American Blended Whisky”

Guy — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:41:57 +0000

The World Whisky Awards took place March 21st 2013 in London, UK. More than 300 Whiskies from around the world were sampled in three rounds of blind tastings. According to Whisky Magazine, Judges were drawn from the best drinks journalists and retailers around the world, with industry representatives made up of master blenders, distillers and brand ambassadors in the final round.

This isn’t the first accolade our Blend has won. In 2012 we won a Gold Medal at both the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Denver International Spirits Competition.

Many american blended whiskies contain Neutral Grain Spirit- this is essentially vodka. In fact the government allows as little as 20% whiskey and as much as 80% NGS to produce a blended whiskey.

Distiller Doug nosing a glass of Whiskey.

Kinnickinnic Whiskey is different. It has NO neutral grain spirits and is a blend of three distinct whiskies including a Bourbon, Malt and Rye Whiskey. Master Distiller Doug MacKenzie painstakingly blends the product to taste in small batches of approximately 1000 bottles each.

Named for a Native American word translating to “what is mixed”, Kinnickinnic Whiskey is currently available in 23 states. It might be hard to find, but it’s out there- and we think it’s well worth the hunt!

More info on Kinnickinnic Whiskey here.

Competition/Award Info here.

Absinthism in the 21st Century

Guy — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 23:29:40 +0000

As a producer of absinthe we spend a lot of our time explaining the myths and facts that surround absinthe. The short hand version is that basically everything anyone has told you about it being a hallucinogen is a lie. It will not drive you insane nor will it put you into seizures. Absinthism is what people were said to be afflicted with if they had any number of frightening symptoms and it was a total lie. Excepting the fact that absinthe is generally higher in alcohol content, It is in fact no more harmful than any other spirit.

In 2007 the US government lifted their ban on products containing Grande Wormwood and since, a number of absinthe’s have now been imported and produced here in the US. Which makes this “authoritative” medical information website’s reliance on 150 year old scientific studies a complete joke. According to the article;

Prolonged drinking of absinthe causes convulsions, blindness, hallucinations, and mental deterioration. Absinthe has been banned but something of its taste of absinthe is still available in such drinks as ouzo in Greece and in France, pastis,…”

From the way it reads you may think it was written by the French wine industry in the late 1800′s but the best part is that under the article it says “Last Editorial Review: 3/19/2012″. I can’t wait to see what they say about the current state of Blood Letting….!