Last November, Minnesota Meetings + Events ventured a half hour east of St. Paul to River Falls, Wisconsin, to participate in a Blend Your Own Custom Rye Whiskey class at Tattersall Distilling. That night, after a cocktail and a brief overview in a bar area, the class relocated to the whiskey production room, equipped with sheets for recording tasting notes. Bentley Gillman, Tattersall’s head distiller, explained how the distillery produces its rye whiskey, including where the rye grain comes from (a farmer near Cambridge, Minnesota) and highlighting the distillery’s environmentally friendly practices. Gillman noted that Tattersall Distilling has the largest solar array of any distillery in the U.S.
“We’re very focused on quality and our relationship to the land around us and our land ethic,” says Gillman. “We work closely with local farmers for our grain, and we’re constantly on the cutting edge when it comes to sustainability.”
In the latter half of the tour, the group gathered in the Tattersall Distilling barrel room around four rye whiskey barrels tilted on their sides. Bentley removed a rubber stopper called a “bung” from the hole in a barrel and inserted a copper rod-like device called a “thief” that syphons rye whiskey from the barrel. He poured the rye whiskey from the thief into a decanter and then into glasses. Participants sipped each rye whiskey one at a time, attempting to describe the taste in words using other familiar flavors. Responses varied by person and by whiskey, but some noted flavors included black pepper, currant, honey, butterscotch, and licorice. People wrote down their favorites and noted the percentage of each rye whiskey they wanted in their personal blend, and the group returned to the room where the tour started. Gillman requested each participant’s notes and mixed a bottle of blended rye whiskey made to order that participants could take home.
“We are really excited for this offering,” Gillman notes. “I think it’s a really great value, you learn a lot, and you have a lot of fun. I’m excited for people to come out, try it, and get to know us.”
Meeting planners can book the Blend Your Own Custom Rye Whiskey class for groups. Tattersall Distilling also has a restaurant, event center, and outdoor amphitheater, all available for gatherings.
