Our Story

STORY

Growing and distilling on a fourth-generation Minnesota farm, producing premium spirits with unmatched terroir.

THIS IS THE STORY OF FAR NORTH SPIRITS

It’s a story of two people – Michael Swanson and Cheri Reese – who returned home to find the authenticity of a simple life and fulfill a deep desire to make tangible, artisanal products of unquestionable quality and value.

FOURTH GENERATION FARMERS

The Red River Valley Swanson farm has been continuously farmed by Swansons since 1917. It is a thousand acres of jet-black, abundantly rich soil that produces exceptional rye and heirloom corn. Built in 2013, the distillery sits on what was once a wheat field.

SINGLE ESTATE SPIRITS

The northernmost distillery in the contiguous United States, Far North Spirits makes premium, heritage spirits inspired by Minnesota’s character and agricultural abundance. Located just 25 miles from the Canadian border, we are one of only a handful of estate distilleries nation-wide to also grow our own grains.

Meet the team

Michael Swanson & Cheri Reese

Michael and Cheri returned home in 2013 to build Far North after 20-year careers in Minneapolis and Denver.

Michael is a fourth generation farmer with a chemist's mind for discovery and a cook's palate for flavor. He has pioneered making grain the star of the whiskey show for 10 years. His work with rye varietals has broad implications for the industry. It demonstrates that distillers can create distinct flavor identities through intentional varietal selection, rather than relying solely on barrel age or marketing narratives. It encourages plant breeders and farmers to consider flavor alongside agronomics when developing new rye strains. And it re-establishes the vital link between distilling and agriculture, reminding the industry that whiskey, like wine, begins in the field.

Cheri is a true "child of the 70s" whose parents (started a flower shop) and grandparents (started a greenhouse) possessed entrepreneurial streaks akin to Martha before she was Martha. As Creative Director, she manages every aspect of the brand experience and doesn't sleep until "everything is beautiful."

Michael’s background includes research, technical service, sales and marketing. He holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a BS in biology/chemistry from Concordia College, Moorhead. Cheri spent 20+ years in public relations and communications. She holds a BA in English from Minnesota State University, Moorhead.

Mike's Favorite Cocktail: Boulevardier

Favorite Far North Playlist on Spotify: The Current 7/30/25

Cheri's Favorite Cocktail: Our take on the Spumoni from The Japanese Art of the Cocktail by Masahiro Urushido. Try it in our cocktail room. It's on the menu with Anna's Garden Gin and our own housemade bitter orange liqueur.

Favorite Far North Playlist on Spotify: Gloss

Steve Gjerde

Production Manager

Steve makes it happen at Far North. If we had trains, he would be sure they ran on time. With more than 25 years experience in manufacturing, he helms our operations and keeps the whiskey, gin and rum flowing from seed to glass. He joined Far North in 2021.

Favorite Cocktail: Sazerac

Favorite music to unwind to: Classic Rock

Dean Lipinski

Assistant Distiller

Dean runs the whiskey-making circuit every day: milling and mashing grain, transferring fermentations, distilling, making heads and tails cuts and bottling. He joined Far North in 2019. In his free time, he enjoys camping, fishing, loves games of all sorts, and is a huge Minnesota Vikings fan.

Favorite Cocktail: Painkiller

Favorite Far North Playlist on Spotify: Vulfpeck Bar

Aaron Albee

Minneapolis Brand Ambassador

Aaron joined Far North in 2014 and brings his knowledge of production, distilling and cocktails to every tasting. You can find him on weekends pouring Far North Spirits and spinning a tale or two.

Favorite Cocktail: The Last Word

STARTS WITH THE SOIL

Located at the midst of the Red River Valley of the North, the soils at Far North Spirits are highly distinctive and different than at any other farming distillery in the United States.

Lake Agassiz

Among the most fertile in the world, these soils owe their richness to the vast ice-age body of water called Lake Agassiz.

Formed from the meltwaters of a huge glacier that covered much of central North America between 30,000 and 10,000 years ago, Lake Agassiz stretched across the top of Minnesota to Eastern North Dakota and up to Manitoba and Saskatchewan. It was larger than any existing lake in the world, and larger than the Caspian Sea.

Unique Terroir

From the bottom of this primordial seabed, Agassiz’s meltwaters deposited rich layers of jet-black silt which created an authentic character of place—a unique terroir. This silt forms the topsoil farmed by Far North Spirits.

Where corn is the Cabernet Sauvignon of distillery grains—happy in almost any soil or climate, agreeable in any fermenter—rye is the Pinot Noir: thriving in harsh, even marginal climates, it is nervy, tough, combative and recalcitrant. It is the perfect grain to thrive in the challenging climate of Northern Minnesota, where January temperatures often plunge to 25 below zero.

AC Hazlet winter rye

Against what author Michael Pollan has called “King Corn”, the advancing, agro-industrial weed, rye, stands resolute. It’s durable, complex and particularly expressive of the soil it is grown in. Against the hegemony of corn, rye is the upstart, the country-based revolutionary leading a rebellion.

Far North Spirits grows AC Hazlet Winter Rye and two varieties of non-GMO corn, Blue River Organic and Minnesota 13 Heirloom Corn. These grain varieties reflect our commitment to sustainable, environmentally sound and minimally-invasive farming practices. AC Hazlet is especially robust, out-competing weeds and resisting lodging (that is, it doesn’t tip over in strong rain and wind). AC Hazlet has proven to offer more vanilla and spice notes than other varieties of rye grains, making for an especially full bodied and elegant rye whiskey that finishes fat.