Heavy Table – “The Launch of Loon Liquors”
“The Launch of Loon Liquors”
by Heavy Table
For all of the growth that Minnesota breweries and wineries have enjoyed in the last decade, a similar rise in craft distilling has not followed suit. While Minnesota-made liquor has been largely limited to Phillips and Karkov, Iowa and Wisconsin have been adjusting statutes to make limited-run spirits a more attractive venture.
The success of Templeton Rye and Death’s Door, among a handful of others in those states, made us wonder when Minnesota would see the writing on the wall. It was only a few years ago that a group of Twin Cities denizens traveled not 15 minutes east of the St. Croix River to form the nationally lauded45th Parallel Spirits. They cited Minnesota’s $30,000 annual distilling fee among the litany of reasons.
