Twin Spirits Distillery – First one woman owned distillery in Minnesota

Twin Spirits Distillery is the passion project of Michelle Winchester, whose curiosity for flavor and spirit of adventure found a home in the distilling community of the Twin Cities. Michelle is the first one-woman owned distillery in Minnesota and she is excited to make NE Minneapolis her distilling oasis. Twin Spirits is meant to invoke the idea of the many dualities in life and to celebrate the many ways we all see and taste in our own ways. We look forward to sharing our spirits with you. Tastethedram caught up with Michelle, and asked her the tough questions. Below please find our detailed interview.

Michelle, please tell us about yourself and what were you involved in before getting into the world of spirit distillation?

MW: I was a stay at home mom of 4 boys prior to opening Twin Spirits.  I worked as a freelance producer in corporate communications but wanted a change that would really challenge myself and be something that I could be passionate about – I think the catalyst for this was that I was about to turn 50 and I was ready for a big change.

Please tell me how the distillery came about? Tell us about the name. 

MW: I went to a conference at the American Distilling Institute – I went to a breakout session for “Women Distillers” and really got the bug from the panel that presented – the simplest comment from the panel was to “Just Do It” – while very simple it really hit me – “yes, I can do this I thought.”

The name Twin Spirits Distillery is a play on the saying “Twin Cities” but it also represents duality – which I am always seeing in life – so it felt like a good fit and I just love the name.

What exactly does your job entail?

MW: I do EVERYTHING.  I started this on my own and currently have 2 part-time employees – so I really do cover all the needs of the business – being the head distillery, the legal aspects, marketing, payroll and moping the floors.

What was the vision for Twin Spirits Distillery. 

MW: Empowerment!  I loved the idea of being able to start a business that I had never worked in and loved how excited it made other people feel when they heard that I was starting to achieve it!  It really is proof that one can do anything!

What whiskey/rum/gin expressions do you currently produce, and how are they all different?

MW: M Vodka – a smooth spirit made from raw sugar cane with a unique taste profile.

M Gin – an “Old Tom” style gin on the sweet side with a subtle botanical profile

Claro – M Vodka but put through an active charcoal filter process that creates a very clean, wide mixing vodka

Mamma’s Moonshine – a unique spirit made from MN honey and distilled only once a month on the full moon (hence it being called Moonshine!)

I am also working on a rum and then a rye whiskey.

Talk for a minute about your choice of still – how did you know it would create the flavor profiles you were looking for?

MW: All my stills are made from a domestic manufacturer, Hillbilly Stills out of Barlow, Kentucky.  I make my vodka on a 100 gallon column still with 10 plates, the Moonshine is made on a 100 gallon pot still that I designed with the manufacturer – it is based on a style I kept seeing in older books of distilling.  My M Gin is made on a 26 gallon still – so it is run much more than the larger stills.

I choose this manufacturer because it was a size I was comfortable starting with – and I really liked the family-run company.

Walk us through the distillation process.  Is there a flavor profile you’re looking for before bottling the spirits?

MW: My main goal was to first make a vodka that was unique – I felt that was best achieved by using a unique source – I use raw sugar cane.  I think that all craft distillers make better products as I think we make better cuts in the distillation process then some of the larger brands.

Do you believe now is the most exciting time for a whiskey/rum/gin lover?

MW: Yes – I think in the last 5-10 years the craft distillers have brought so many ideas to the distilling process and we are just starting to see all the possibilities that are out there. Craft distilling, to me, is all about unique ideas for how to distill, what to distill (and in my case, when to distill) – there is so much out there to explore!

Do you have any role models in this industry?

MW: Nicole Austin was my distilling consultant (Nicole is an award winning whisky blender for King’s County Distillery in Brooklyn, New York).  While I admire Nicole for the whisky blending she has done, I also admire her consulting practice as she really helped me find my own voice in the distilling field.

How do you expand your spirits nationally? Any plans to do so?

MW: One state at a time!  I am distributed with a company that is in many states – I’m hoping to start going into other states by the end of the year.

What are your hopes for the distillery 5 years from now?

MW: I hope that we have expanded the distillery operation to include larger stills, that we’ve expanded the cocktail room and that we are in many states!

Do you think that your product is distinctive? If so, what makes it distinctive from other whiskies on the market?

MW: Yes!  We get a lot of feedback that the M Vodka is unique and we agree!  Mamma’s Moonshine seems to be the crowd favorite and the most unique spirit – there is not a lot of distilled mead out there – and distilling it only once a month makes it even more special!

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

MW: I am very proud to be the first one-woman owned distillery in Minnesota!

As a new distillery we are continuing to add products to our line up – so keep checking us out – we will have new products as time goes on!