Review: Iron Fish Michigan Rye Vodka

Iron Fish Distillery was founded in 2016 as Michigan’s first farm distillery.  It is named for the Steelhead fish that run the nearby Betsie River.  The story starts in 2011 when Richard and Sarah Anderson purchased a long abandoned farm five miles from downtown Thompsonville Michigan.  In 2014 for his 60th birthday Sarah sent Richard to Scotland for a scotch tasting tour with his brother in law David Wallace.  After touring several distilleries including Lagavilin, they stopped at Kilchoman Distillery, a Scottish farm distillery.  Before returning home they decided to build their own farm distillery on the farm property the Anderson’s acquired years earlier.  Richard and David took a distilling class in Chicago and after waiting 18 months for state and federal permits, and 21 months for their custom Kothe still they opened a 4900 square foot production facility and tasting room September 2016.  Their first two spirits were a white rum and a Michigan winter wheat vodka.    They grow and harvest their own grain then mill, mash, ferment, distill, and barrel age the spirits on site.  When needed additional grain is sourced from local Michigan family farms.  Iron Fish Michigan Rye Vodka is made from their own grown 100% hearty winter rye.  It is distilled on a 22 foot copper column still and proofed with pure water from a 300 foot deep aquifer.  Iron Fish Michigan Rye Vodka is bottled unfiltered onsite.  The aroma leads with banana peel and wet rye bread.  Additional time brings out vanilla.  The sweet vanilla entry has a viscous mouth feel building to a lemon and Rye Triscuit peak.  It fades with vanilla and banana bread and finishes with Nilla Wafers, lemon, spicy rye, black pepper, and a warm peppery sting.  Iron Fish is a full flavored hearty vodka I would serve a whiskey lover if I was trying to convert them to  vodka.

Made in Thompsonville Michigan

40% Alcohol

Score: 90

Award: Silver Medal