56 distiller
"People want to learn about our products," said
Heidi. "ey want to know the background and
sample the spirits. "It definitely creates a connec-
tion when you know where it's from, how it's made
and what the people did to make it. We've built a
good relationship with the customers. ey're able
to look for the spirits when they get home at a retail
location in Michigan."
eir spirits are available through accounts across
the state. A small percentage is sold through Spirit
Hub in Chicago.
eir first aged spirits were straight whiskey and
bourbon made with 100 percent Michigan grain,
bottled to benefit research underway at Michigan
State University and Michigan Department of
Natural Resources Fisheries Division. ey estab-
lished the Iron Fish Arctic Grayling Research Fund
for charitable contributions to help return the
Arctic grayling to Michigan rivers. e rye whiskey
has a nice honey, spice, caramel mix flavor. e bar-
rel-strength straight bourbon has a beautiful mix of
fig, spice, caramel and vanilla melted into a hot cin-
namon finish.
Always pushing the creative envelope, their gin
and bourbon account for half their sales. e
Woodland Gin has winter wheat, juniper and con-
color fir, giving the gin a distinctive citrus nose that
gives way to a spicy finish from fennel, licorice and
pepper. e concolor fir comes from an area tree
farm. e American botanical style gin is a complex
braid of 20 botanicals bottled at 90 proof.
Starting in 2020, Iron Fish released Four Cask,
a four-barrel finished bourbon. e limited 200
cases were blended with 40 percent maple whis-
key barrels, 30 percent Caribbean Rum, 15 per-
cent Sherry casks and 15 percent Cognac barrels.
e 2021 Four Cask blend, aged four years, will
be announced in December of this year. Beginning
in 2021, their four-year aged estate whiskey, made
with grain grown on their farm, will be released.
e Mad Angler edition will be the start of a per-
manent brand.
With no investors and a premium product line,
growing productivity and expanding their fan base
are paramount.
"It definitely creates a connection
when you know where it's from,
how it's made and what the people
did to make it. We've built a good
relationship with the customers.
