Vikre releases its first Duluth-made whiskey

Vikre Distillery in Duluth, which began distributing its handcrafted gins in 2013, has added whiskey to its lineup.
On Friday, the startup released its first whiskey - Sugarbush Whiskey - which the company says is the first whiskey to be legally distilled and sold in Duluth. The distillery also produces several gins, aquavits and a vodka.
Sugarbush Whiskey is the first in a series of experimental whiskeys the small Canal Park distillery owned by Emily and Joel Vikre is developing. The whiskey is largely made out of corn mash, like a traditional bourbon, but aged in a nontraditional sequence of barrels. It is made with local touches, using Lake Superior water, Minnesota and Wisconsin grains and locally sourced barrels. It’s aged with Minnesota soft maple wood and local maple syrup.
More Vikre whiskeys - ryes, a bourbon and single malt - will be released in the future, according the company’s website.
On Friday, the distillery at 525 Lake Ave. S. began selling its first lot of Sugarbush Whiskey, just three barrels’ worth during a kick-off event. But more will be produced.