Great Northern Distilling, a Plover-based company, announced it has a new spirit to offer, Great Northern Distilling Rye Whiskey.

The whiskey was referred to as “Paul Bunyan’s pour” by Inc. Magazine in the June 2016 issue. Great Northern Rye is crafted in an old East Coast style, but distinctly Midwestern with Wisconsin’s clean, fresh water and locally grown grains.

Great Northern founder and head distiller Brian Cummins said his inspiration came from rye whiskey being the most popular spirit in America before Prohibition and could be traced back to the founding of the country. After repeal, the spirit never fully regained its popularity, and spirits like vodka took hold.

“With the resurgence in pre-prohibition cocktail culture, I wanted to bring back that older style of rye, reminiscent of those produced in Maryland and Virginia. We use a high proportion of raw rye grain, rye malt rather than barley malt which gives a more savory, smooth rye flavor, and just a touch of corn for balance. The high quality rye grain grown right here in Wisconsin makes a very special spirit and one that we’re enormously proud to make,” he said.

Earlier this year, Great Northern Distilling earned the Portage County Business Council (PCBC) Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was selected from several nominees by the Business Council’s Selection Committee based on its growth and financial stability, dedication to customer service and community needs, personal leadership commitment and innovative efforts to identify a market niche.

The company was founded in 2013 and began selling spirits in April 2014. During the first two years in distribution, it expanded from a single spirit – potato vodka – sold in central and northern Wisconsin, to five spirits including potato vodka, herbalist gin, opportunity rum, vanguard whiskey and now rye whiskey, sold statewide.

Great Northern Distilling also sources all of its ingredients from within a 150-mile radius.

Great Northern Rye Whiskey has proven an early success after already receiving a silver medal from the American Craft Spirits Competition and featured in such taste-making locations as Christian’s Bistro, Mikey’s Neighborhood Bar and Grill, The Cannery Public Market, The Libertine and Father Fat’s Public House.

Great Northern Rye Whiskey can also be found in exclusive barrel-aged cocktails at The Palomino, Rumpus Room and Tripolia Country Club. These one-of-a-kind cocktails are the invention of the bar managers behind them and are mixed and then aged in Great Northern new American oak barrels.

Great Northern Rye Whiskey is now available in Wisconsin from General Beverage Sale Company and can be found at such retail outlets as: The Bottle Stop, Fish Creek Market, JR Liquor, Niemuth’s Southside Market, Dan’s Liquor, Trig’s and Woodman’s.

Great Northern, 1740 Park Ave., Plover, is open for public tours at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Saturday. A mixology bar on site is open for cocktails from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 1 to 10 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call 715-544-6551 or visit greatnortherndistilling.com.