We’ve been here before.
After you’ve been traveling the country for 12 years you begin to gravitate towards your favorite places. NW Montana is one of those places for us. We’ve been tasting beer, spirits, and wine all over this great land at too many places to count. Last month we found ourselves exploring again in the Flathead County area of Montana where the mountains touch the big blue sky – it’s the place where Glacier National Park lives.
We thought we had visited Glacier Distilling in Coram, MT 5 years ago but we weren’t taking very good notes then so we weren’t sure. When we pulled up to the big red Whiskey Barn it looked very familiar and a visit inside confirmed it, we’ve been here before. Of course, there were new spirits to try so we each ordered a tasting on their comfortable, dog-friendly patio. Our Whiskey Slinger, Mike, was very knowledgeable and set us up with some tried and true favorites and a few interesting (and tasty) blends. Let me tell you about them!
We both liked the North Fork American Style Whiskey with its sweet, earthy flavor. Perfect for sipping on the rocks or neat. We didn’t have it in a cocktail but they have some mighty delicious-sounding recipes using North Fork whiskey – just click that North Fork link above.
Next we tried the Mount Brown single malt whiskey which was smooth and nicely aged with a light smoke flavor up front. This one is not listed on their website yet but it’s worth a visit to try it!
Wheatfish is a lighter single malt whiskey with a slight, sweet finish and touch of butterscotch. There is a recipe for Hot Buttered Wheatfish I definitely want to try!
Fireweed is a very cherry bourbon that is slightly sweet with a heavy burbon finish. Nice to sip on after dinner.
Trapline Rock and Rye was a clear favorite with both of us. A great combo of rye, honey and orange with a sweet, smooth finish.
The gin drinker in the family liked the very spruce forward Glacier Gin and he said “it just begs to be in a martini” and their website offers a few other yummy cocktail recipes too!
Cherries are grown locally in Flathead County and Glacier Distilling offers a couple of spirits that feature them. The first we tried is called Cherrycello and boasts 10 pounds of cherries in each bottle! They are soaked in alcohol over the winter and pressed each spring for an intense cherry flavor! I was expecting it to be sweeter, John was glad it wasn’t.
John loved the Mulekick which infuses jalapenos, garlic, and black peppercorns in rye whiskey for a great flavor with a little kick. We brought home a bottle and John gives it 4 paws up in bloody marys. I like the flavor but haven’t tried a bloody mary… yet! They also have some other tasty recipes I want to try.
My fave was Hungry Horse Rum. It is bottled at 100 proof (no wonder it’s my favorite) and soooo smooth it could be dangerous, but in a good way. It has a slightly sweet finish and I will drink it on the rocks this summer and occasionally in a cocktail.
The Grand Prismatic Rum was another favorite! It’s not your usual heavily spiced rum. There is just enough spice to comliment and let the rum shine through. This one has a light cinnamon finish. It’s not on their website yet so it may not be available all the time.
Glacier Dew Vodka is not as smooth as some we have tried but it has a good, clean flavor and would be great in cocktails.
John was looking forward to the Kirschwasser, a cherry brandy, but he was a little disappointed. We both felt that the a moonshine flavor way overpowered the cherries in this batch. It might be good in the Big Forkin’ Mojito recipe they have listed on their site (love the name!).
Our tasting experience was very enjoyable and Diesel loved being with us on the patio. There are still a few spirits we didn’t get to try so we’ll be heading back for another tasting and to visit Josephine’s Speakeasy, that sits just up the hill from the Whiskey Barn offering cocktails (made with Glacier Distilling spirits of course), small plates, weekly specials and dessert.
Glacier Distilling Company is on the way to the west entrance of Glacier National Park and makes for a great way to end the day of hiking and seeing the sights. They have different hours in winter and summer so check their website if in doubt. They are open everyday during the summer but have limited days in winter. You can vist them at: 10237 Highway 2 East, Coram, Montana 59913 – 406.387.9887
