My husband & I did a tour and tasting here recently - we were very impressed with the informative tour, the focus on using local ingredients, the knowledge of the staff AND the generosity with the tasting. Talk about fun, and so interesting to compare different hard liquors, side by side. The aquavits are creative & tasty. Parallel 45 vodka is now a staple in our cabinet. This would be a HOOT to do with a large group of friends - it was great with a bunch of strangers, too! World-class quality with local friendliness.
This is a small distillery in Western WI. Nothing is wasted in production, everything is used local and returned local. Absolutely love the limoncello! They also have infused vodkas that are excellent with Bloody Marys. Will be going back to re-stock!
The tour was about 45 minutes long, lots of interesting facts and some ability to see close up how they distill spirits here. The owner led the tour and was engaging, interesting and really helped us understand a ton about the history and process.A big highlight was seeing the process firsthand - peeking right into the gear.The tasting afterwards was another highlight, especially the Lemoncello, Orangecello, the whiskey, and the Horseradish Vodka. The Horseradish Vodka is a home run by the way for making the best Bloody Marys ever. They don't over flavor it - it's excellent. Buying a bottle of that at the end of the tour is worth the trip by itself.We went as a group outing of about 10 people, it was a fun outing - took a limo van from the Twin Cities and made a great day of it, with dinner after the tasting. This has to be one of the best $5 events you can do!
Great tour and tasting! Guide was very passionate and enthusiastic about not only whiskey, but the whole process.
My wife and I really enjoyed our recent tour and tasting at 45th Parallel. Our tour guide, Tom, was very personable and knowledgeable. He clearly exuded passion for his job and the high quality products they produce. The informal tour lasted about 45 minutes with lots of time for Q&A and small samples of spirits at various stages of development. The tasting consisted of ample sized samples of their flagship vodka (45th Parallel), gin,their new bourbon, dill aquavit, horseradish vodka, limoncello, and orangecello. Tom did a nice job describing the flavors and what to look for as we sampled each spirit. Everything was available for purchase at about the same price you'd pay in a store (if you're lucky enough to find their products). This was a very fun and informative outing. I'd certainly recommend for anyone who enjoys high quality spirits and desires to know more about what sets products like these apart from some of the other lower cost spirits you'll see in the market.
My wife and I found this little place while traveling the back roads of Wisconsin. Tasted all the spirits they make and left with horseradish spirits. Worth a stop and a detour.
Who would ever figure there would be a facility like this in such an area? Wonderful tour and learned so much about the distillation process. And afterwards they don't skip at all on the tastings. Let's just say life was good walking out of there.
Had a great time over the weekend at the 45th Parallel Distillery! The tour lasted ~ 45 minutes (and cost $5 per person). The tour guide was very informative - giving not only the history of the company, but also how their spirits are produced ("from grain to glass.") The best part was the tasting at the end, from their premium artisan vokda, to horseradish vodka, to whiskey... their orangecello was my favorite!! They say they are going to start making rum in the future. CNN has ranked this tour as one of their top 10 favorites in the world! http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/23/travel/10-drinker-tours
The building on the outside is a typical factory setting however, when you walk in there is a very nice small bar and tasting room. You are served an amble selection of gin and vodka, both of what they make and what they bottle. Very interested, I have been to wine and beer tastings before and found this to be good.
So interesting to learn about a distillery and the staff were very friendly. But the star of the visit is definitely the tasting!!! Only $5 for the tour and tasting, best deal in town. We went here for "cocktail hour" before dinner at nearby restaurant.