FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Among the new vendors at the Minnesota State Fair this year is the Minnesota Distillers Guild.
Their booth is located at the North End of the fair, next to The Hangar.
"For the days I've been here, it's been fantastic," said Mitch Larson with Chankaska Creek Ranch & Winery.
Different people with the Minnesota Distillers Guild have been working the booth, sharing information on the MN distilled spirits industry.
"There's no liquor, hard liquor, allowed at the State Fair. We don't have it here now but we're at least sharing information. We're hoping that it's going to be similar to breweries. The Brewers Guild came the first year and only shared information, as well, so we're hoping we're taking some baby steps to being able to provide samples and cocktails here, as well," said Michelle Winchester, owner and founder of Twin Spirits Distillery.
During their time at the fair, they've been celebrating Minnesota agriculture. According to the Minnesota Distillers Guild, in 2018 guild members consumed more than 2.3 million pounds of Minnesota grain. Minnesota micro-distilleries also used more than 100,000 pounds of Minnesota apples, plus honey, maple syrup, berries, apple cider, wine, and sorghum molasses.
"We are small Minnesota businesses that support our small farmers. So if you look in different bottles, it shows you what goes into each bottle that is grown in the state of Minnesota," said Melissa Ginzburg, director of sales for Du Nord Craft Spirits.
Winchester said she is seeing a growing number of Minnesota craft distilleries.
"When I started working on this four years ago, there were five. There's about 25 now in the state. We have 19 in our guild," she said.
Although fairgoers can't sample their spirits, the Minnesota Distillers Guild has been offering a Minnesota Distillers Passport for $5. It features 17 micro-distilleries and has more than an $85 value.
