Chankaska adds distillery tasting room
Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery has opened its doors to its newest offering, the distilled spirits tasting room.
Since the winery, south of St. Peter, opened seven years ago, winemaker and distiller, Mike Drash, along with distiller, Anne Chronic, knew they wanted to broaden their expertise at making distilled spirits to include alongside the winery’s popular wine selections. With almost four years in the making, Drash and Cronic started their spirit adventure together with just three distinct spirits; white whiskey, apple brandy, and gin. Finely tuned and perfected in Chankaska’s imported German copper pot distiller, the two artists have grown the selection to more than a dozen choices today.
According to Marketing and Merchandise Manager Courtney Malone, while the distilled spirits tasting room is still very new and unfamiliar to the local community, the experience is one of a kind, and patrons have had nothing but great things to say regarding the opening. Guests to the winery, many not specifically there to visit the new distillery, claim it has been a pleasant experience that they didn’t expect to find.
“We come to the wine bar a fair amount and (Chankaska) would have been on our list of places to visit whether this new tasting room was open or not,” said Sarah Brewer, a Chankaska Creek customer. “We decided to check it out, since it is brand new. Having the distilled spirit tasting room is an added bonus to the winery, and we look forward to seeing what the new addition has to offer.”
Staff members have also had a very enjoyable experience getting acquainted with the tasting room. Bartenders have been trained specifically, catering to the new Chankaska spirits themselves. Serving 12 labels, the bartenders have learned the art of creating a cocktail made from these specific spirits. Ranging from Gin and Whiskey, to Vodka and Brandy, the spirits line the tasting room walls and exquisite masterpieces are created on the tasting room bar
If you come to the spirit room expecting a show, you are in for a tantalizing experience and won’t walk away disappointed. Talents fly high within these walls, as exciting, unusual drinks are created.
Kade Wasinger, assistant tasting bar manager and membership concierge, is one of the tasting rooms drink entrepreneurs, boasting the ever popular favorite so far; the Ranch Road Ruby cocktail. Containing almost two and a half ounces of booze, this popular drink features grapefruit, mint, gin, amaretto, Ratifia — a sweet white wine fortified with brandy — and grapefruit tonic.
The winery expects to see a lot more traffic through the new tasting room once word gets out to the community that it is open for business.
“We are planning to host a bloody Mary and mimosa bar on Sundays and believe we will see most of our traffic through the tasting room on Saturdays and Sundays,” said Malone.
The tasting room promises to be a popular addition to the establishment, and Chankaska leaders are confident that it will not disappoint its patrons expansive range of pallets. Not only will the spirit room offer their custom made drinks, they also plan to open the newest kitchen, as well. With the new addition of a second kitchen area, there is talk of a few new items being added to their food menu in the future.
For Malone, as the winery continues to develop, the marketing part of the job might be getting easier.
“The winery is working on some fun events taking place throughout the summer months that will feature some of our new spirits,” she said. “I often have guests say they can’t drive through town without stopping to enjoy a glass of wine and enjoy the beautiful scenic view from the winery’s patio. We encourage anyone to visit, sit back, and relax with a glass of wine or try one of our new cocktails, as well.”