Distinctly Montana Magazine

Proof n Hand-crafted Spirits BY KAY BJORK n 42 406 n Montana Made DEPARTMENT B rian Anderson winds along a sparkling Flathead Lake in his pick-up, on this way to little family farm near Ronan, Montana. He bumps along the road past pretty blonde fields to the grain elevator and loads up his truck with a ton of grain to take back to Bigfork where it will be used to make hand-crafted spirits at Whistling Andy Distillery. Entrepreneurs across Montana have found yet another way to take advantage of Montana's natural resources, us- ing great grains, fruits, and botanicals along with superb water to make distinctive crafted spirits. Microdistilleries seem to be popping up across Montana like mushrooms, alike in that they both rely on the ground and water to flourish. There are presently eight licensed microdistilleries in Montana with four more ready to pop. And like the mushroom, there was a lot going on be- neath the surface before they made their entrance, with the myriad of state and federal licensing and regulations to wade through, the charting of unknown territory, the experimentation in refining product, and then the added time required to age some of the spirits, like whiskey, which often takes years to mature. For the past century there weren't any microdistilleries in Montana because it was illegal under Prohibition-era laws – until legislation introduced by Vigilante Distilling owner and attorney Mike Uda and former state representative Brady Wiseman helped outline a licensing framework in the Microdistillery Act of 2005. Additional legislation in 2007 allowed distilleries to have tasting rooms and to sell a regu- lated amount of spirits opening a new frontier to licensed microdistilleries. (Even though you can brew beer and wine for personal use, it is still illegal to distill at home.) The first to release craft spirits in Montana was Rough- Stock Distillery in Bozeman, in September 2009, allowing them to boast in toasts and tag line, "First whiskey distill- ery in the state since Prohibition" and "First best whiskey in the last best place." They were also the first distillery in Montana to make whiskey in over 100 years. Right at their heels were Vigilante Distilling crafting vodka in Helena, followed by Flathead Distillers in Eureka, also creating vodka. The Ridge Distillery in Kila started making absinthe and gin in the summer of 2010. Whis- tling Andy opened in Bigfork with vodka on New Year's Eve 2011, followed by rum, moonshine (un-aged whiskey,) and aged whiskey. Glacier Distilling in Coram opened in March, specializing in whiskey with names reflecting the surrounding area such as Glacier Dew and Bad Rock Rye. In the early stages Northwest Montana was a hub for microdistilleries with four of six Montana's first microdis- tilleries. Their southern neighbor in Missoula, Montgom- ery Distilling, hopes to release its first batch of spirits at the end of the year, adding to the Northwest Montana micro- distillery beehive of busy bees. Five more craft distilleries have either started or are anticipat- ing their first release in the coming months across the state. DISTINCTLY MONTANA • WINTER 2011

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