Review: 28 Mile Vodka
28 Mile Vodka is small batch distilled in Highwood IL 28 miles north of Chicago. Eric and Gregg Falberg built 28 Mile Distilling Company in a former linen company building, and opened in 2019. They currently produce 28 Mile Vodka, gin, bourbon, and Elf Butterscotch Bourbon Whiskey. The inspiration for the distillery was Rose Miller who was born in Beloit Wisconsin in 1893. By the time Rose was a teenager her father had already taught her how to distill vodka. Rose moved to Chicago after high school and after working in jazz clubs on the south side of Chicago she moved to Highwood IL where she produced her bootleg spirits out of the Moraine Hotel. Her liquor named 28 Special was highly regarded and said to be found on the top shelf of Al Capones bars. Widely known as The Debonair, Rose joined the Women’s Temperance Union of Evanston to help hide her identity. An estate sale 60 years after her death in the 1942 Cocoanut Grove Nightclub fire in Boston revealed the extent of the operation and Rose Miller to be “The Debonair”. 28 Mile Vodka is made from malted wheat, barley, and rye. The aroma leads with malt, and lemon pastry. Additional time brings out butterscotch and floral notes. The sweet lemon and rye entry builds to an orange and malt peak. It fades with bright orange and finishes with fresh pastry, peanuts, orange peel, and white pepper.
Made in Highwood IL
40% Alcohol
Score: 91
Award: Gold Medal