Northern Waters Distillery

What Northern Waters Distillery does

Northern Waters Distillery is a craft distillery founded in 2013 in Minocqua, Wisconsin, producing a diverse portfolio of more than 30 small-batch spirits across moonshines, rums, vodkas, gins, whiskeys, and brandy. Production is anchored on a 26-gallon column still with 8 plates, with two distillations for clear spirits and barrel aging programs utilizing casks from The Barrel Mill (5 to 53-gallon formats, varied char levels) and Midwest wineries. The product line emphasizes regionally-sourced inputs — Wisconsin-grown wheat, corn, and rye from a Rhinelander farm; cranberries from Lake Nokomis Cranberries; maple syrup and honey from Lakeside Syrup & Honey; coffee from Eagle River Roasters; and Northwoods-foraged botanicals such as white pine bark and wintergreen. Production incorporates sustainable practices including spent grain diversion to farms and bottle upcycling.

The business generates revenue across four primary streams: on-site tasting room direct sales (cocktails, spirit samples, bottle purchases); wholesale distribution exclusively through Allstate Distributing across Wisconsin (the company states it is not set up for out-of-state distribution or direct consumer shipping); experiential offerings including 60-minute Behind the Scenes tours at $15-25 per person and a Custom Whiskey Program in which customers design their own bourbon recipe and receive all bottles plus the barrel; and private event hosting for groups of 10-100, supported by a year-round event calendar (Distilled Yoga classes, weekly Lakeside Music, Campfire Jams, food truck rotations, and Patio Piano Sundays). Customer segments center on Northwoods tourists and seasonal visitors, local community members, whiskey enthusiasts, and event planners.

In 2023 the founding Nomm family sold the business to the Johnson-Donahue family — Jake Donahue (who joined the company in 2020 with 20 years of Chicago bar management experience), his sister Sarah Johnson, and her husband Cal Johnson — bringing hospitality and small business ownership experience while preserving the brand's creative experimentation ethos. The company operates as an independent private entity with no parent company, no venture backing, and headcount in the 1-10 range.

Name

Northern Waters Distillery

Legal name

Northern Waters Distillery

Website

https://northernwatersdistillery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Northern Waters Distillery is a craft distillery in Minocqua, Wisconsin producing 30+ small-batch spirits from regionally-sourced ingredients, selling direct-to-consumer via its tasting room and wholesale through exclusive Wisconsin distributor Allstate Distributing, while offering tours, custom barrel programs, and private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Distilled Spirits

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC), Distilled Spirits Production & Distilling (AFAFAAAC), Spirits/Cocktail Bars Operated by Producers (THAFALAJ), Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF)

Keywords

• Craft distillery spirits
• Small batch whiskey
• Flavored vodka
• Distillery tours tastings
• Custom barrel bourbon

Headquarters

HQ city

Minocqua

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tasting Room Sales: On-site sales of cocktails, spirits samples, and bottle purchases directly from the distillery location.
2. Distillery Tours: 60-minute behind-the-scenes tours at $15/person public, $18-25/person for private groups (4-15 people). Includes complimentary cocktail.
3. Custom Barrel Program: Full-service custom bourbon whiskey creation - customers design recipe, participate in process steps, receive all bottles from barrel plus the barrel itself, with custom labeling.
4. Wholesale Distribution: Products sold through retail stores throughout Wisconsin via Allstate Distributing, their exclusive regional distributor.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Northern Waters Distillery is a craft distillery that produces and sells a diverse portfolio of small-batch spirits — including moonshines, vodkas, gins, rums, bourbons, ryes, wheat whiskeys, and brandies — distilled from Wisconsin-grown grains and regionally sourced ingredients. In addition to bottle sales, the company operates an on-site tasting room serving craft cocktails, hosts paid distillery tours, runs a custom bourbon barrel program, and stages private events, live music, and distilled yoga classes.

Product overview

Northern Waters Distillery is a craft distillery producing a diverse portfolio of spirits including Moonshine (Original, Apple Pie, Black Currant, Cinnamon Maple, Maple Vanilla, Honey Lemon, Honey Lemon Cranberry), Rum (White, Spiced, Gold), Vodka (Premium, Coffee, Cranberry, Blueberry Basil, Cucumber, Fig, White Pine, Bacon Jalapeno, Citrus), Gin (Northwoods, Cranberry Gin Liqueur, Barrel Finished), and Bourbon/Whiskey/Brandy (Jimmy's Room Bourbon, Poachers Rye, Old 51 Wheat, Copper's Run, Double Barrel Spring Fever, Buck Shot, Bird Shot, Yellow Jacket Apple Brandy). The distillery also offers experiential services including Behind the Scenes Tours, Snapshot Tours, a Custom Whiskey Program for personalized barrel-aged spirits, Private Events hosting, and Classes & Activities like distilled yoga. All products feature regionally sourced materials including Wisconsin-grown grains, local maple syrup, cranberries, and other Northwoods ingredients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Original Moonshine A corn whiskey bottled at 88-proof, produced via two distillations of corn mash and collected at approximately 159-proof off the still; foundational moonshine SKU.
• Apple Pie Moonshine
• Black Currant Moonshine
• Cinnamon Maple Moonshine
• Maple Vanilla Moonshine
• Honey Lemon Moonshine
• Honey Lemon Cranberry Moonshine
• White Rum
• Spiced Rum
• Gold Rum
• Premium Vodka
• Coffee Vodka
• Cranberry Vodka
• Blueberry Basil Vodka
• Cucumber Vodka
• Fig Vodka
• White Pine Vodka
• Bacon Jalapeno Vodka
• Citrus Vodka
• Northwoods Gin
• Cranberry Gin Liqueur
• Barrel Finished Gin
• Black Lab Berry Whiskey
• Fox Red Cherry Almond Whiskey
• "Jimmy's Room" Bourbon Whiskey
• Poachers Rye Whiskey
• Old 51 Wheat Whiskey
• Copper's Run Whiskey
• Double Barrel "Spring Fever" Whiskey
• Double Barrel "Buck Shot" Whiskey
• Double Barrel "Bird Shot" Whiskey
• Yellow Jacket Apple Brandy
• Custom Whiskey Program
• Behind the Scenes Tours
• Snapshot Tours
• Private Events
• Classes & Activities

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Allstate DistributingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive Wisconsin distributor for Northern Waters Distillery products. All retail sales go through their regional representatives located throughout the State.
• Eagle River RoastersminorOthersCoffee supplier for Coffee Vodka and cold brew coffee products. Locally sourced roasted coffee blended with spirits.
• Lake Nokomis Cranberry FarmminorOthersCranberry supplier for Cranberry Vodka and other cranberry-infused spirits. Berries are harvested every fall and pressed into pure juice.
• The Barrel MillminorOthersBarrel supplier located in Avon, MN. Provides barrels in various sizes (5-gallon to 53-gallon) with different char levels for aging whiskey and bourbon.
• Lakeside Syrup & HoneyminorOthersMaple syrup supplier used in Cinnamon Maple Moonshine, Maple Vanilla Moonshine, and Spiced Rum. Local producer based near Minocqua.
• Midwest WineriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWine cask suppliers for Double Barrel Bird Shot Whiskey. Partnership with various Midwest wineries to source wine barrels for finishing spirits.
• YOGASHOPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYoga instruction partnership for Distilled Yoga classes held lakeside at the distillery. Bryn Lottig leads flow yoga classes followed by cocktails.
• Island City AcousticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMusic partnership for Campfire Jam sessions. Hosts outdoor jam sessions where guests bring instruments and play together, overlooking the lake.
• Rocky Reef BrewingminorOthersBeer partner offering select Rocky Reef beers at the distillery for customers who prefer beer alongside spirits.
• Food Trucks (Jake's Mobile, PEEK-A-BOO Pizza, Yahoo BBQ, ATLAS Pasty)minorOthersRotating food truck partnerships offering various cuisines during events. Past vendors include smashburger trucks, pizza, BBQ, and gourmet pasties.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Old Sugar Distillery: Madison, Wisconsin craft distillery producing whiskey, brandy, rum and liqueurs with tasting room. Direct Wisconsin peer with comparable small-batch manufacturing scale and tasting room experience.
• Central Standard Craft Distillery: Milwaukee, Wisconsin craft distillery producing bourbon, rye and specialty spirits with tasting room and cocktail program. Comparable Wisconsin craft distillery competing for similar on-premise and retail channels.
• J. Henry & Sons: Dane County, Wisconsin craft distillery focused on aged whiskey, bourbon and gin with farm-sourced grain story. Comparable Wisconsin craft spirits producer emphasizing provenance and small-batch aging.
• Great Lakes Distillery: Milwaukee-based craft distillery producing vodka, gin, rum, whiskey and liqueurs with a tasting room and cocktail program. Direct Wisconsin craft distillery peer with overlapping product mix and on-premise experience model.
• Wilderness Distillery: Wisconsin craft distillery focused on small-batch spirits with tasting room and tours. Direct peer operating at similar small scale with comparable experiential offering.
• Driftless Distillery: Southwest Wisconsin craft distillery producing bourbon, rye, gin and specialty spirits with on-site tasting room. Comparable small-batch craft positioning with locally-sourced ingredient narrative.
• Yahara Bay Distillers: Wisconsin craft distillery offering whiskey, gin, vodka and liqueurs, with a tasting room and events. Direct Wisconsin peer with similar product breadth and tourism-driven tasting room model.
• RockFilter Distillery: Wisconsin craft distillery producing bourbon, whiskey and specialty spirits with on-site tastings and events. Direct small-batch craft peer competing for Wisconsin shelf space and tasting-room visitors.

Broad incumbents

• Death's Door Distillery: Wisconsin-based craft distillery (Door County) producing vodka, gin and whiskey at significantly larger scale and broader distribution. Comparable product categories with materially greater geographic reach and brand recognition.
• Koval Distillery: Chicago-based Midwest craft distillery producing whiskey, gin and specialty spirits with broader national distribution. Comparable craft category but materially larger scale and distribution footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/northernwatersdistillery
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northern-waters-distillery-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northern Waters Distillery