Great Lakes Distillery
- Cru and Hannah
- May 2
- 6 min read
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Crusin’ Rating: C-
Booze Rating: C+
It’s been a while since we reviewed a distillery, so this week we are in Milwaukee checking out Great Lakes Distillery - specifically, the Milwaukee tasting room and distillery. (there’s also a spot in West Allis). Right off of the roundabout and across the street from the now-closed Mobcraft and Iron Horse Hotel in the Walker’s Point Neighborhood. While on the corner of a roundabout and two streets doesn’t exactly make for the most tranquil of locations, Great Lakes Distillery makes up for it with plenty of imbibement offerings and a very friendly bartender.
With the first hint of summer hitting in late April, Hannah and I had picked an excellent day to sit outside and do a review. A low slung building that is dwarfed by nearby cream city brick lofts, bright blue signage lets you know you are in the right spot. Upon entering, there’s a large retail space to your left with more bottles than you could fit in the back of a pickup, swag, and glassware options. To your right, there’s a large oval bar that offers 360° seating around it and holds plenty of spirit options on a shelf hanging down from the ceiling. Tables next to large windows give additional seating options and there's a few picnic tables and a patio loveseat or two outside. Near the back of the space through a few windows you can catch glimpses of the barrels, distilling equipment, and production floor of the distillery. All of the bottles served at this location are distilled right there on sight. Great Lakes Distillery uses fruit produced in Wisconsin (when possible) which is a big plus in our minds.
Hannah wanted to be outside to enjoy the sun while we reviewed, and the bartender was welcoming and accommodating, offering small tastes (they don’t offer spirit flights) and drink suggestions. It was clear he was knowledgeable and was more than willing to answer any questions we had, give brief snippets of the story of each spirit, and point us in any direction that our taste buds were searching for.
We opted for five tasting samples and each of us got a cocktail (Hannah’s was N/A) to finish out.
While we had been on an impromptu visit after a sour-festival once before, it had been long enough that I needed a refresher on what this distillery had on offer.
Junipre (0% ABV) - Yes, we had to try this N/A spirit produced right here in Wisconsin, mainly because we hadn’t seen one yet. The market for N/A spirits grows by the day and low to no ABV cocktails are very much in vogue. This clear offering had notes of coriander, basil, lemon, and the grassiness of a freshly cut lawn on the nose. There were notes of basil, cardamom, and low lemon zest when tasting, a slight bit of chili in the finish and a little pepperiness in the aftertaste. While the taste was somewhat complex, ultimately we both agreed this needed a little more body - maybe the addition of sugar, gum arabic, or a gum syrup to give it a little extra mouthfeel. While the flavor was complex enough, it ended up giving the impression of botanical water. To our chagrin, it also wasn’t bold enough to stand out in a cocktail featuring it. We really appreciate that they are trying here, and they are on the right track, but it’s not quite there yet.
Still and Oak Bourbon (43.0% ABV) - With a mash bill featuring 67% corn, 22% barley, 11% rye, and aged two years this bourbon pours a light gold, almost lager gold. This is a fairly malty bourbon, with notes of honeyed cereal in the aroma, cut wood, and warm, but dry sugar. Tasting gives similar notes of honey, cereal, and sweet wood that's been freshly cut that has a fairly long, and slightly spicy oak finish. Overall, I think this one falls on the sweet side, which may or may not be for you.
Good Land Orange Liqueur (35.0% ABV) - This liqueur was the item I was most excited to try. Orange Liqueurs can be very fidgety and tough to nail down. I know that this one is made right here in Wisconsin and even though the oranges may not be grown here, I was still pumped to see a locally produced alternative to the triple sec you see on the shelf. This liqueur pours clear and features lots of bright orange on the nose, its sweet enough to pass into candied orange territory and Hannah said it was reminiscent of making a syrup from reduced Crush Soda - there is a touch of ethanol in there too, but she was pretty on the money for aroma.
While the aroma had my mouth watering, overall, this was a pretty big sugar bomb with low orange. Initial hit of thick sweetness, the orange candy, and a just as sweet, but if not sweeter finish that ends with some boozy heat. I thought this tasted way closer to a syrup than a liqueur, almost like a bottled orange oleo saccharum (syrup that uses sugar to extract essential oils from fruit - making a fruit-flavored syrup). I was really hoping for this to be more balanced and to be a local answer to mass-produced triple sec. However, as it is - I think it's going to be closer to an orange syrup in practice and I would have to redesign the specs of a cocktail to take into account the heavy sweetness here. Again, while I applaud the effort here - I want this one to be a bit more solid before it earns a spot on the Crusin’ for Booze home bar.
Good Lands Coffee Liqueur (35.0% ABV) - In a similar vein I wanted to try a locally made coffee-liqueur. This light brown offering with low clarity gave notes of both strong and smooth coffee with a definitely apparent sweetness on the nose. I will say that even though this was fairly light in color, the strength of the coffee really comes through here with roasty notes, low bitterness and a slightly nutty and caramel like note to it. It finishes sweet with a little bit of boozy warmth. Even though this one ran a little on the sweet side again, I think that the coffee they use brings bitterness and a small bit of acidity to bring it more balance. Hannah and I both agreed that this is a solid option - so get rid of that Mr. Black (or Kahlua) and give this a try in your next espresso martini or hot chocolate.
Rehorts Barreled Gin (47.0% ABV) - I love a good barreled gin, so had to give this one a shot. Pouring a light gold, with a lot of wood, cassia bark, and slight sweetness with some very hard to identify juniper on the nose, this one was heavily woody on the palate and again, I tasted that cassia bark again (not to be confused with Quassia - a bittering agent). In all, this one ended up really being too much barrel and wood that, to us, overwhelmed a lot of those flavors in gin, rather than mellowing them out and adding complexity.
Great Lakes Distillery has a ton of options, many of them - to our knowledge - unique to them thus far: an N/A Spirit, Orange Liqueur, Fruit Distillate Brandies (Banana, Plum, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, Pear - which are different from flavored brandies, they are straight distilled fruit), fruit gins, Absinthe, and then plenty of offerings that are tricky to find: Cranberry Liqueuer, Cherry Liqueur, Nocino (made from black walnuts), Pumpkin Liqueur, plus varying iterations of bourbon, rye, and gin. There’s really something for everyone and, again, I really applaud Great Lakes for going for it and making things that a lot of distilleries don’t make, and making them right here in Wisconsin (I mean c’mon Absinthe, from Wisconsin?!). I think if there was some refinement and tweaking in the future, Great Lakes Distillery would be a large contributor to an all-Wisconsin bar.
We didn’t find success in the fact that the orange liqueur didn’t quite balance with lime in a cocktail, and got pretty lost in there as did the Junipre. So I definitely think there’s room for improvement and that’s why many of these offerings don’t have a spot on the Crusin’ for Booze home bar. I will be back here though, every few years, to see if they’ve tweaked recipes or refined some offerings and will remain hopeful that they eventually dial some of these further in - please - Wisconsin needs and deserves some of these locally made offerings for their bars.
I encourage anyone in Milwaukee to stop by, maybe even grab a bottle to dabble with at home to see how it works in your own cocktails. Those of you coming from an hour or more away, if you’re in the area it may be worth a stop - but there’s tons to see and sip on in Milwaukee and you can always grab a lot of Great Lakes Distillery’s offerings from a lot of retail spots - so maybe don’t make a trip just for the distillery, but try it nonetheless.
Until next time, keep on Crusin’ don’t stop boozin’!
To learn more about Great Lake Distillery, please visit their website at: greatlakesdistillery.com or on Facebook: @GreatLakesDistillery or on Instagram: @GreatLakesDistillery
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