I can drink to this! From Eye On Boise:
You might have thought it was just July, but officially, in Idaho, it’s also Idaho Spirits Month.
That’s spirits, as in vodka, rum, gin and brandy.
Gov. Butch Otter issued a proclamation designating the month, and recognizing the “rapidly growing craft spirits industry comprised of small, family owned businesses such as those producing the majority of new private-sector jobs in the United States.”
Craft distillers in Idaho last year formed the Idaho Distillers Association to showcase their products and craft. While it’s relatively small compared with the craft distilling industry in neighboring states Washington, Oregon and Montana, the new association already has nine members.
“This will be an important yearly event that will allow Idaho distilleries to highlight the value of their products to Idaho consumers and to the state economy,” said Ken Wyatt, association president and co-founder of 44 Degrees North Vodka. “Eventually, we hope that Idaho Spirits Month will grow over time to join Idahoans and visitors in the celebration of the diverse bounty that the state has to offer in the realm of spirits as well as restaurants and nightlife.”
Wyatt’s signature product is vodka made from a famous Idaho product – potatoes. The distillery also uses Brundage winter wheat.
“44° North Vodka utilizes Idaho’s great agricultural wealth to produce the purest vodka possible,” the distillery says on its website. “To achieve a smooth and distinctive taste we distill directly from 100% Idaho potatoes or Brundage Winter Wheat blended with Rocky Mountain Spring Water. To naturally infuse our flavored varieties, we use only all-natural Idaho Mountain Huckleberries, Rainier Cherries and Sunnyslope Nectarines.”
Other distillers in the association have similar approaches. 8 Feathers Distillery in Boise says it produces “premium, small batch spirits made from the purest water and the finest grains locally sourced in Idaho.” Mill Town Artisan Distillery in Sandpoint promises, “If we don’t grow it, we source it local.”
Idaho distillers can offer tours of their distilleries, and if they’re also licensed bars, they can sell their wares by the drink. But in most cases, they can’t sell them by the bottle. Under Idaho’s state liquor laws, bottled spirits are available only at state liquor stores.