Firing Up the Stills at Twin Spirits Distillery

For Michelle Winchester, owner and founder of Twin Spirits Distillery in Minneapolis, it is a chance to show people something unique. The Beginning Growing up in the Bay Area of California, Winchester never imagined a life in Minnesota. After relocating to Chicago for her husband’s job and eventually to Minneapolis, where she has now lived for 15 years, Winchester was transported to a place of surprises and new experiences. “I knew nothing about Minneapolis. I remember being like, ‘You want us to move to Minneapolis – what’s in Minneapolis?’” she says. “I had no idea what large companies are here. It’s a very vibrant city, a large but small city. I love it.”   After her youngest of four sons turned 13, with her fiftieth birthday falling that same year, she knew it was time for a change from being a stay-at-home mom. She toyed around with ideas of what to do and kept thinking about opening her own distillery. When her husband, Slade, suggested attending a conference by the American Distilling Institute, her interest grew even further, and she was ready to take the next steps. Finding the right location was a process. Eventually, she purchased a building in Northeast Minneapolis. This part of the city reminded her of Berkeley, Calif., but not because of its looks.   In terms of its eclectic-ness, the people really remind me of the people I knew in Berkeley,she says. The building she purchased was built in 1913 and was expanded in the late 1940s. Renovations to make it into the space she needed would take some time. Unforeseen roadblocks – including difficulties during construction and discrimination based on her sex – did not damper her spirits or determination. In June 2016, after a year and a half of construction, Twin Spirits Distillery, the first woman-owned distillery in Minnesota, was open for business. Creating & Distilling Winchester’s custom-made stills were fabricated by HBS Copper in Kentucky to fit the desired 100-gallon pot design. The distillation process for liquor involves a liquid being heated to create vapor and then condensing the vapor back i