With a tasting room in Sioux Falls and production in Watertown, Glacial Lakes Distillery & Brewhouse has a variety of premium, hand-crafted spirits.
“As part of our lineup, we have vodka, gin, white rum, dark rum, brandy, and bourbon,” said Quentin Robertson, owner of the artisan distillery.
All Glacial Lakes spirits are crafted in small batches and with as many locally sourced products as possible to ensure quality.
Signature Spirits
The Wooden Boat Rum and Whitecap Rum both have a cane sugar base, while the award-winning Glacial Lakes Vodka and Stony Point Gin start with a South Dakota red winter wheat base. The newest addition is a bourbon.
“The bourbon can only be bought in our bar. You can go out and get our vodka at the airport in a Bloody Mary. You can’t get our bourbon anywhere but here,” said Rachel Begeman, beverage director.
“We expanded into Sioux Falls with a tasting room last year in August. It’s been doing very well.” -Quentin Robertson
On the Rocks
Try each spirit in specially-curated cocktails or on their own in downtown Sioux Falls.
“We have to make our own mixers, cordials, and all that good stuff from hand,” said Robertson. “That pretty much separates us from your average bar.”
Begeman explained, “We make our own Irish cream, limoncello, vanilla bean vodka, and coffee liqueur. We make whatever we can, and that’s all we carry.”
Each cocktail made in the tasting room is made from mainly Glacial Lakes products.
“We actually just came out with our first cocktail that is completely head-to-toe ours, even down to the bitters, which typically takes two to six months to create,” said Begeman about their Saffron Amore.
With the change of the seasons, notice the menu changing. Robertson says the next menu will likely take effect in April.
“I’m always getting excited for a particular cocktail that I know is only going to be around for a short amount of time. Right now, it’s the Snowbird 2.0,” said Begeman.
The Snowbird is a piña colada with a winter twist, including Toasted Coconut Rum, Wooden Boat Rum, pineapple juice, coconut, and heavy cream all topped with blood orange vanilla bean syrup and cinnamon.
Fact
The “Glacial Lakes” name comes from the history of glaciers in the Watertown area.
“For downtown, what we’re most excited about is the Haken, Not Stirred. It’s a cocktail that we partnered with the mayor to bring out,” explained Begeman.
The savory martini is made with notes of jalapeño, star anise, fresh cucumber, and house-prepared aquavit.
“Since we are so locally focused, all of the dollars spent here will go back into the community from which it started,” explained Robertson. “We source as much as we can locally—from our wheat to our corn to our barley.”
“We’re constantly teaming up just around the corner,” added Begeman.
For example, the honey they use is from Brandon, while the coffee liqueur is made from The Breaks Coffee Roasting Co. product.
Into the Horizon
As the months turn warmer, check out the outdoor seating at the tasting room.
“Our square footage for that patio is huge, and it’s got a beautiful sunset,” said Begeman.
“Our patio is a phenomenal addition to downtown within walking distance of anywhere you’d want to go, but also to get outside and get some of the weather and sunset.” -Quentin Robertson
Watch the sun sink behind the buildings on the west-facing seating area.
Looking forward, things will be changing for the distillery.
Events
*There may be more events than what is listed. Check Facebook for updates.
March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
+ Music Trivia
March 3
+ Tap Takeover with Dempsey’s Brewery Pub & Restaurant
“Genuinely we’re producing as much as we can with our space in the Watertown location. We’ve tripled since opening in August what we were producing in the prior years,” said Begeman.
They are looking to move their operation within the next year to Hartford, where they could elevate their production space from 1,500 square feet to upwards of 6,000, according to Robertson.
“We want to be able to grow into it and not worry about having to expand when it’s more expensive down the road,” said Robertson.
