Our Feature Product:
Yahara Bay
Whiskey
Not since January 16, 1920 has aged whiskey been legally produced in Dane County, until now. Opening in October of 2007, Yahara Bay Distillers knew they wanted to produce a wide array of premium spirts using ingredients grown throughout the State. Starting with vodka, rum, and gin, all which are clear, unaged spirits, owner and chief distiller, Nick Quint, made the decision to expand his offerings to include aged spirits such as rum, brandy, and whiskey.
“We knew we wanted to experiment with aged products, so shortly after we began distilling we put up a number of spirits in new charred oak barrels to begin the aging process. It’s a long time to wait to see what the final product will turn out like, but after seeing the results it’s definately been worth it .” Nick Quint, Owner/Chief Distiller
Yahara Bay’s first Whiskey has been aged over two years in new charred oak barrels giving it a deep smokey oaken quality. From a base of wheat, corn, barley, and rye, it is distilled three times and filtered four times prior to casking, gives the spirit an extra smooth quaffing quality as well as lingering mellowness on the pallet, similar to one savoring a fine piece of chocolate. Additional barrels are still currently sealed for additional aging and distribution at a future date.
“It’s up to the discression of each distiller to choose how long to age each spirit. We began checking the flavor profiles after six months and about once a month after that. We’ll continue to age additional barrels and watch how they progress but after two years, we feel this whiskey has the depth to stand on its own as a great example of what craft aged whiskey should be.” Nick Quint, Owner/Chief Distiller
Each bottle is hand-labeled with the barrel, bottle, and date. Samples of the new whiskey and the other products as well as tours are available for small and large groups at the distillery by appointment.
It is unclear how many Wisconsin whiskey distillers were in business prior to Prohibition, but as the first in a very, very long time, Yahara Bay Distillers is looking forward to setting distilling trends now and far into the future.