Whisky Wisdom continues the exploration of unique people in the whisky world by asking them a few questions, hopefully over a dram of whiskey. Minglewood Distilling Company, located in the heart of Wooster, OH, has a special twist in that it is also the current location of one of our founding members, Kate. The following is from lightly edited correspondence with Andy Morrison, co-owner of Minglewood along with his father Mark, bookended with Kate’s own thoughts.
Kate: In the last 5 years, I’ve moved a lot! Starting with our move from the Twin Cities to Columbus – sad because I had to say goodbye to regular Scotchology get-togethers – we finally landed in rural, central Ohio a year and a half ago. Wooster is a charming college town, 45 minutes southwest of Cleveland and 30 minutes west of Canton/Akron. If moving has taught me anything, it is to find a way to plug into my new community and we found ourselves at Minglewood for their barrel signing in February 2020. Good thing we didn’t wait! We went to the tasting and first met Andy, who was giving tours and doing tastings. Over the course of the tour, Andy filled us in on Minglewood’s offerings and let us sample some future experiments. We signed the 2020 barrel and then COVID-19 hit.Â
My fellow Scotchology founder and friend, Adam, called me later in the year to ask if he could visit for a few days during a road trip. I knew a tour of Minglewood was one of the activities we HAD to make time for. I contacted Andy and we were able to make a safe tasting environment, replete with questions. Whatever we didn’t scribble down then, Andy was kind enough to remind us of later. Here’s what he had to say.
Distillery visit with Andy Morrison
Wooster, OH. August 21, 2020
Additional text via email. February, 2021
What was the genesis of Minglewood?
Mark and I were already working on the building and trying to think of what we wanted to do with it. Mark had developed an interest in distilling and was talking with another person about their distilling operation. After continuing to research it, we decided it was something we wanted to pursue, since it would be unique and not something already being done in the area.
What makes Minglewood unique?
I think what makes Minglewood so unique is that we are so focused on each little aspect of the distilling process. From hand selecting grains to manually operating the still and monitoring cuts; we are able to put a magnifying lens to each step and that leads a better spirit in the end.
Tell us about your sourcing
We try to source our ingredients locally when possible. All of our grain is grown in or around Wayne County, with our corn and rye being purchased from family-owned farms. That gives us some real benefits; not only are we certain the quality of the grain will be consistent each year, but it’s nice to build a relationship with those farmers where we can communicate throughout the year about how the growing season is going and just keeping in touch about the grain. We also source our oak barrels from a cooperage in Ohio. The big benefit there is that oak trees in Ohio generally have more sugar in them, to survive the harsher winters up here, and that leads to stronger barrel flavors when the wood is charred.
How has this global pandemic specifically impacted you?
Being a distillery, we have been very fortunate during this pandemic. While we have seen a serious drop in wholesale to bars and restaurants, individual sales have increased significantly and more than made up for the loss in wholesale. We also produced sanitizer in 2020 to help out the community when it was difficult to find.
What market is Minglewood serving now? What marketplace would you like to break into?
Minglewood’s primary market at the moment is Northeast Ohio, and that has a lot to do with our reliance on word-of-mouth marketing. Over the next few years, we would like to increase our density in Northeast Ohio, while also beginning to spread out into other parts of the state.
Kate: Why do I like Minglewood? The approachability, the willingness to share information with people, the fact that they’re not trying to take over the world and instead just put out a good product even if that means their footprint is limited. They’re also trying to find their mark, shown by how each batch of bourbon and gin is different. I find that fascinating. It means they’re not wedded to the first horse out of their gate. They’re willing to improve and explore the varieties. I liked their second batch of bourbon better than their third or fourth, personally. I also love how their cinnamon whisky is so unique. I’d actually call it their signature item. I do love they are trying to serve the cocktail population with that cinnamon whisky, along with their other flavored whiskies, gins and vodka. They’re really into the mixology side of things, which I appreciate. It makes me want to whip out my Williams and Sonoma bar guide and try different things. I think that’s what they’ve reinspired in me: the 1920s prohibition era style of drinking. It might be simple, but it’s good.
Hungry for more? Check out Part 2 of our interview to catch more of his perspective and Kate’s thoughts.
