11/7/09 –
Juniper berry picking on Washington Island
Having run out of juniper berries for gin, and looking to connect it with some of the folks whose fine ingredients help create our products, we headed north to Washington Island for the juniper berry harvest sponsored by Deaths Door. So on a beautiful, balmy, Saturday afternoon in November, we hit the bushes and collected the tiny, fragrant berries until our fingers and backs were ready to call it a day. We spent the rest of our visit reconnecting with old friends, seeing the amazing sites of one of Wisconsin’s most unique islands, and sipping on, what else? Gin!
Pictured: Nick Quint and Lars Forde. Check out our Washington Island photos on Facebook!
Our Feature Product:
Yahara Bay
Mad Bird Rum
Just when you thought all of the madness over naming Madison’s official bird was over, Yahara Bay Distillers has decided to pay tribute in their own, unique, way. In October of 2009, we released a limited edition run of Mad Bird Rum for sale.
“I had a barrel of rum we began aging almost two years ago. This being the first amber rum we’ve produced I wanted to celebrate something special when we finally decided to tap the keg… this seemed like the right moment.”
— Nick Quint, owner
An unconventional bird deserves an unconventional spirit. Made from table-grade molasses and twice distilled to be extra smooth, this rich amber-colored rum comes on strong with hearty notes of fresh cut sugar cane, and a few moments later leaves traces of warm molasses cookies and burnt sugar on your tongue. Although unlike the plastic flamingo it’s named after, no artificial colors, flavors, or additives were used in its production. The natural golden hue comes from aging in charred oak barrels.
“The Mad Bird Rum came out even better than we could have hoped. We think it will be a popular choice among rum drinkers, although we’ll wait to hear feedback from the customers before deciding if we want to add this to our line of permanent products.”
— Nick Quint, owner
The single barrel of rum produced 300, 750 ml bottles which are all hand labeled and numbered. And while the distillery is holding on to bottle number one — the remaining bottles will be sold exclusively at Yahara Bay Distillers and limited liquor stores around Madison due to the small quantity produced.
On Exhibit Now
Cherie St. Cyr and
Frank Lawrence
November 14, 2009 - January 15, 2010
Get a glimpse of what you'll see!
Visit the Gallery at Yahara Bay to delight in the beauty of Cherie's whimsical, colorful and imaginative quilts, scarves, pot holders and more — along with the colorful, abstract oil paintings of partner Frank Lawrence.
Hold Your Next Event at
Yahara Bay Distillery!
Finding unique, centralized locations to host your events can be a challenge. We invite you to consider a trip to Yahara Bay Distillers where your members and guests will have the opportunity to see behind the scenes what happens at Dane County’s only distillery — just one of three distilleries in the State of Wisconsin. READ MORE!