Mississippi River Distilling Company

On our recent trip to Le Claire, Iowa, we were excited to stop in at Mississippi River Distilling Company. Located on the main street through town at 303 North Cody Road, the company was started in 2010 by two brothers with a crazy idea to create handmade distilled spirits with a local twist.

Those two brothers, Ryan and Garrett Burchett, picked the perfect spot to produce their spirits, too. Le Claire is surrounded by grain fields and the view of the river from their beautiful building makes a pretty awesome work space. Reclaimed wood from old barns cover the walls and floors, and the tasting room completes the look with tables made from barrels.

They offer public tours daily on the hour from 12pm to 4pm, so we stopped in and learned a lot about their distilling process. Ryan gave our tour and he explained that 100% of the corn, wheat, rye and barley they use comes from within 25 miles of the distillery. They handle every step of the process - milling the grain, cooking the grain to make the mash, fermentation, distilling, filtering and blending - all is done in house. They even bottle the spirits by hand.

The real star of the show at Mississippi River Distilling Company is their beautiful copper and stainless steel still. They had the still made in Germany and trained there too, to be sure they could get the most out of their equipment. Here's the boiling pot and the two tall copper rectification columns that allow them to distill the purest spirits.

Here's the bottling line. This is some handmade small batch booze, people.

Their products include River Pilot Vodka, a smooth, blended 100% Iowa corn vodka - the small batch process ensures a nice, clean vodka taste. River Baron Artisan Spirit is a blend of corn and wheat that has a flowery aroma but a crisp, smooth finish - you can mix it like a vodka and the taste is quite unique. River Rose Gin is distilled with fresh grains and a blend of botanicals including the more traditional juniper, plus citrus, lavender and more - this gin would make a killer martini. This was a sample of the botanical blend they use for the River Rose Gin.

Their latest product is Cody Road Bourbon Whiskey. Made from corn, wheat, and unmalted barley from across the river in Illinois, the bourbon is bottled at 90 proof and then aged in American oak barrels. Small batches mean the bottles go fast, but the next release is June 1, 2012. And now, you can ensure your own cache of the Cody Road Bourbon by participating in the Adopt-A-Barrel program. (Sorry for the fuzzy photo - and this was taken BEFORE samples. Seriously.)

They also offer some seasonal spirits including Windmill Rye Whiskey, a slightly spicy whiskey that was finished in used bourbon barrels. After the tour, we were invited to the Tasting Room to sample some of their products. We tried the River Baron Artisan Spirit, River Rose Gin, and a little sip of the Rye Whiskey. It was so cool to sip on a spirit poured by the guy that made it.

They have a nice little retail shop area, too, with their handmade spirits for sale as well as glassware, t-shirts and apparel, and some other souvenirs. We did invest in a bottle of the River Baron Artisan Spirit and so should you!

So while Le Claire, Iowa, is certainly a charming river town on it's own, the addition of Mississippi River Distillery really made it a destination for us. The Burchett brothers are taking local and handmade to the extreme and it really shows in the quality of their products. Pick up a bottle or two at any of several retailers across the state that carry Mississippi River Distillery spirits, or ask your favorite bar or restaurant if they carry River Pilot Vodka, River Baron Artisan Spirit, or River Rose Gin, and have them mix your favorite drink with a premium Iowa spirit. Supporting local Iowa products just got a lot more fun thanks to Mississippi River Distilling Company!

Mississippi River Distilling Company

303 North Cody Road
P.O. Box 801
Le Claire, IA  52753

563.484.4342

Hours

Monday - Saturday  10am - 5pm
Sunday  12pm - 5pm

More information at www.mrdistilling.com