Beverage of the Week (B.O.W)
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BOW for the Week of: January 18 to January 24, 2012
While the 1990’s were the decade of the microbrewery, this decade is certainly bearing witness to the rise of the micro-distillery. Today, we now have a distillery in all 50 states. Quite a remarkable feat when you consider the quirky, if not flat stupid laws in some states that greatly hindered the legality of microbreweries as well.
The idea of the micro-distiller is far from new. Before Prohibition came along, most towns and cities of any size had small, often family-owned, distilleries. This current renaissance is simply a correction and one that we at BevX are greatly enjoying.
Grand Traverse Distillery (GTD), located in Traverse City, Michigan (northern Michigan along the 45th parallel) is the realization of founder Kent Rabish’s dream. A Michigan native, Rabish wanted to craft high quality spirits made in small batches from local ingredients. The first Vodka we tasted from Grand Traverse Distillery was their flagship “True North” Vodka made from Michigan rye and their local, glacial waters. We were blown away by the purity, depth, and integrity of this spirit.
Grand Traverse, Michigan is perhaps the world's cherry capital. The cherry is a huge part of the identity of this northern Michigan town. It is only natural that the local craft distillers, wineries, and breweries would incorporate cherry into their products. GTD does so with a great deal of flare and panache. Their Cherry Vodka is bold and flavorful. Unforgettable.
