Featured at World Whisky Day 2020: Twin Spirits was founded in 2014 by Michelle Winchester and began production in 2016. The distillery has a cocktail room and coffee shop on site, and is often a place where local music can be found. The 100 gallon copper pot stills were made in Kentucky and the distillery uses a grain-to-glass approach for most of their products. The M Whiskey is the distillery’s only sourced product, finished in ex-red wine casks from local Alexis Bailly Vineyards. The desire was to produce a port cask finish, and the dessert wines were the closest approximation available. The M Whiskey, along with the other spirits from the distillery, are available in 375 ml bottles.
Distillery: Twin Spirits
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 45%
Price: $18.00
Maturation: ex-wine barrels
Mash Bill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Location: Minneapolis
Nose: Resin, spice bag, floral, bergamot, peppermint, anise, wintergreen, maple syrup
Palate: Mint, lemon
Finish: Anise, antiseptic, orange zest
Comments: We wish more distilleries would offer smaller bottle options, like the 375ml. This allows consumers to take more of a chance because they are cheaper and contain less whiskey. The risk is less if you don’t like it, and a good option for gifts.
Adam – I’m really surprised by the nose with the M Whiskey. Makes me wonder what it’d be like with an actual port finish. Also makes me wonder if the distillery will gradually convert to juice they make on site (understandable now, because they’re so new and want product now). This whiskey is fascinating to me. So many really interesting components dancing around in the same room. I wish they were able to sync up together better but it speaks to me that eventually, with a bit more aging, they eventually will. And that’s exciting. The surprisingly floral nose touched with a minty sweetness is stripped away to a minty citrus on the palate and that citrus carries forward into the finish touched with some warmth. Sometimes it feels like a jumble of flavors and scents, but sometimes they work together well. This is an interesting whiskey, in a good sense, and gives me hope for what this will eventually coalesce into.
Meghan – There’s a bit of lemon right at the palate. This is like an herb garden in bloom. Like a melted Ricolla.
This is like an herb garden in bloom.
Michael – There’s a lot there. The finish has a bitterness like orange zest.
Ben – It’s like a whole bunch of flowers. It’s scattered and overwhelming from all the elements. It’s definitely dessert. It smells and tastes like bitters.
Caitlin – The M Whiskey is totally like a wildflower garden.
Kate – It’s like it’s standing at a Y intersection, deciding if you want to go floral or malt and they don’t mesh. They’re too different to jive.
Henry – I’m getting a bit of dianthis flower. I’m walking around the garden, not sitting in front of one plant.
