Up North’s Three Award-Winning Spirits Showcase Versatility of Honey
Up North Distillery took home three medals in the National Honey Board’s 2018 Honey Spirits Competition. We reached out to the distillery to learn more about their spirits, which are 100% distilled from honey:
Honey Spirits (unaged), Barrel Finished Honey Spirits (bourbon barrel-aged for 1 to 2 years) and Barrel Reserve Honey Spirits (bourbon barrel-aged for 2 to 3 years).
What was the inspiration behind these spirits, and who came up with the recipe?
We seek to be innovative in our approach to spirits. In Idaho, vodkas over saturate the market. We wanted to make something new and unique to Idaho. We pride ourselves on doing everything in house from fermentation, distilling, barreling, bottling, and labeling. Our products are small batch and hand crafted.
To a casual spirit drinker, how would you describe these spirits in less than 10 words.
Unique spirits that provide a gluten-free alternative to vodka and bourbon.
What do you enjoy most about these spirits?
The flavor. We love that our products are made with 100% Idaho honey while providing a balanced spirit that isn’t overly sweet.
What role does honey play in these spirits?
Honey plays a subtle role in the taste of our spirits even though we use 100% honey in our mash. Our intention is to provide a gluten-free alternative to vodka, whiskey and bourbon.
What do you enjoy most about using honey in the capacity of distilling?
Distilling honey is an art and a science. It doesn’t respond like your typical grain-based mash. It requires constant care and tweaking to ensure that the honey ferments at its maximum potential.