Midwest Spirits Festival - Madison

Everyone talks about terroir in wine, but here in the Upper Midwest, we quietly farm some of the finest grain on earth. The corn is dense and sweet with oil, the rye bristles with spice, the barley carries a clean, cold-weather purity that shows itself in structure and lift. It only makes sense that from this raw material — from these fields shaped by glacial soil and long horizons — would come spirits with real character.

On Saturday, April 11th from Noon–3pm, we’re gathering that character in one room for Madison’s first true celebration of Midwest spirits.

We’ll be welcoming blenders, distillers, and craftspeople from top producers across the Great Lakes region — the people who coax caramel and toasted pecan from heirloom corn, who build texture and length from single-variety, estate-grown rye, who walk fence lines and forests to forage the botanicals that give their gin its snap of juniper, citrus peel, spruce tip, and wildflower. These aren’t anonymous factory labels; they are working distilleries rooted in grain, weather, and patience.

Throughout the afternoon you’ll taste well over 50 spirits crafted across the Midwest — robust bourbons layered with vanilla, maple sugar, and charred oak; rye whiskies humming with cracked pepper, clove, and dark cocoa; gins alive with green herbs and bright citrus oils; and other small-batch surprises that show just how far craft distilling has come in our own backyard. Just as important, you’ll have the chance to meet the producers themselves, hear how fermentation choices shape ester-driven fruit notes, how barrel selection influences texture and tannin, how proof and blending decisions determine whether a spirit finishes lean and lifted or round and resonant.

If you care about where flavor comes from — if you believe that grain matters, that water matters, that craft matters — this is your afternoon.

And because we believe great spirits should make it home with you, we’ll be offering our best spirits discounts of the year on any bottles purchased during the event.

The Midwest has always grown extraordinary grain. Now it’s time to celebrate what we’re distilling from it. We hope you’ll join us April 11th for an afternoon that proves the best spirits in the country may be closer than you think.

We can't wait to have this amazing lineup of producers all in one place, we hope you can join us on Saturday, April 11th from Noon-3pm. 

We'll be welcoming blenders, distillers and craftspeople from top producers across the Midwest, including:

J. Henry & Sons - Dane, WI - 

Driftless Glen Distillery - Baraboo, WI 

Dancing Goat Distillery - Cambridge, WI 

Dampfwerk Distilling - St. Louis Park, MN

Vikre Distillery - Duluth, MN  

Far North Spirits - Hallock, MN 

Sturgeon Spirits - Oshkosh, WI

Wollersheim Distillery - Prarie du Sac, WI

Leatherbee Distillers, Chicago, IL