45th Parallel Distillery
Trekking across northern Iowa and western Wisconsin in late summer is a treat. Just to paint a picture, all the farm fields have crops in and blooming. Early in the morning, you will often come upon a farmer or 7 on the highways moving from one field to another. And as the sun comes up over the farm fields and forests it’s quite a site. It is part of the beauty of the Mid-West.
Anyway, besides some of the typical summer Mid-West sites, the trip up to New Richmond, Wisconsin to get to 45th Parallel Distillery was pretty uneventful. (No possum statue on the road this time).
Little did we know that when we got to the distillery, the head distiller was from Scotland. And come to find out later in our discussion, he was working on a single malt whiskey for 45th Parallel. Check out the video short HERE to learn more.
A great group of people running this distillery, and Paul Werni (Founder and Owner) was a great host. I think he is a model of a typical Mid-Westerner, Soft-spoken, Humble, very easy going, and making some fantastic Bourbon and Whiskey.
This distillery is on the verge of some huge expansion. Their current barrel storage building holds about 2500 barrels, and they are getting ready to double that capacity. And they are doing an enormous amount of contract distilling for a host of whiskey producers. It’s no wonder they are growing.
Add to their whiskey they have a very sweet tasting room / restaurant and event center and it’s a place that the locals love to hang out in. Talk about bringing the outside in. The entire wall opens up to the outside creating one very large indoor / outdoor space.
Speaking of their restaurant, if you go, have the pizza. Scott, the cook is making up some fantastic Italian pizza’s. Best I have had since I was in Italy. Don’t miss this!
And, don’t miss tasting their whiskey. They have a number of expressions, and I’m sure you will find one that you like. And don’t miss some of their finished whiskey. The Red Fife was my favorite, and Kirk (one of our Executive Producers and the guy behind the camera) loved the whiskey finished in a Cognac Barrel. He said it took him right back to being at the lake. That’s the power of great whiskey.
If you are in or around New Richmond, Wisconsin, stop in and give them a try (and have the pizza). 45th Parallel Distillery also has a tasting room location in Stillwater, Minnesota.
Give em’ a try and let your taste buds decide.
Check out some of the behind the scenes pics below. The full YouTube episode can be seen HERE. You can also see our tasting of their flagship bourbon HERE. If you want to see the full un-edited ShopTalk video, along with the un-edited Distillery tour and some other tasting videos along with some outtakes, hit our PATREON page and subscribe or log on if you are already a member.
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