FOR HUB CITY TIMES

KNOWLTON — A family-owned and operated distillery, named Knowlton House Distillery, will be opening soon. Offering distillery tours, classes, craft cocktails, and food, the distillery will be located across from Mullins Cheese.

The distillery’s flagship product line, called TenHead, includes vodka and gin crafted from milk sugar (whey), a byproduct of making cheese.

Founded by Luke and Heather Mullins, the distillery is a marriage of their respective professions and passions. As a fourth-generation cheesemaker with Mullins Cheese, Luke comes from a long line of dairy farmers and cheesemakers. Heather, educated in distilling with a master’s degree in brewing science, has worked as a product development scientist aiding other distilleries and breweries.

“We’re not the first to distill spirits from milk sugar,” says co-founder and head distiller, Heather Mullins. “There is a handful of distilleries that do it worldwide. But it just feels right that we distill from milk in Wisconsin. We’re confident that nobody is more committed to showcasing these spirits at their best,” she adds. “After all, dairy isn’t just the pride of our state. It’s the pride of our family.”

While the concept of distilling vodka and gin from milk sugar may seem novel, Heather points out that it’s a concept dating back nearly a thousand years and produces traditional-tasting spirits.

“Just like potato vodka doesn’t taste like potatoes, milk vodka doesn’t taste like milk. It’s still a very traditional vodka. However, it has a smoother, more velvety texture due to its source,” says Heather.

Knowlton House teamed up with local Logan Erikson of Paper City Studios to assist in the design along with Marawood Construction to bring it to life.

“We are humbled to be selected as the general contractor for Knowlton House Distillery,” said Marawood co-owner, Ben Vance. “The Mullins have been a long-time client of Marawood, so to see their dream of owning and operating a craft distillery come to fruition and being part of that is an honor.”

“We’re excited to be working with Marawood Construction on this project,” said co-founder, Luke Mullins. “It’s always great to work with another local, family-owned business. Keeping both the design and construction local helps us to create a space that feels authentically Wisconsin while still meeting our unique needs.”

Construction on the distillery began in September 2022, with an anticipated opening of spring 2023.