“In a refreshing change of pace, Far North distills their whiskey on site from rye grown on Swanson’s family farm. This allows them to trace how grain varieties influence the flavor of the final product—information that is otherwise long lost to grain elevators.”
— CINNAMON JANZER, FOOD & WINE
“The choice to grow single-strain rye, heirloom or not, is an impactful one, and a way to showcase the provenance of where that grain is grown — in Far North’s case, the family farm.”
— ADAM POLONSKI, WHISKY ADVOCATE
“Swanson and Reese are a new breed; like chefs, they’re thinking hard about how to maximize the natural strengths of Hallock and the surrounding region.”
— ADAM DOSTER, TRAVEL + LEISURE
“Mike Swanson thinks Minnesota could be at the center of a whiskey revolution.”
— DAN GUNDERSON, MPR
“Far North Spirits Roknar Rye Whiskey — A perennial benchmark in Minnesota rye.”
— JOHN GARLAND, THE GROWLER
“The husband-wife team of Michael Swanson and Cheri Reese uses winter rye grown on the family farm, and all the work from harvest to bottling is done by hand.”
— STAR TRIBUNE
“Given that Far North is part of a family farm, it should come as no surprise that the star of the show, as far as the owners are concerned, is the grain they grow for their whiskey.”
— STEPHEN MATHIS, THE MALT IMPOSTER
“Far North serves the land and the local community by minimizing the use of herbicides, practicing crop rotation, and employing local farmers during their idle winter months. For Far North, sustainability is all-encompassing.”
— ADAM POLONSKI, WHISKY ADVOCATE
“The Ålander Spiced Rum from this Minnesota producer, spiked with vanilla and nutmeg, is a perfect base for hot toddies and punch.”
— ELYSE INAMINE, FOOD & WINE
“If it doesn’t say ‘distilled’ on the bottle, the brand you’re buying from didn’t actually make it explains Mike Swanson of Far North Spirits in Hallock, MN.”
— KAREN LOCKE, GQ
“In the Minnesota hinterlands, a young couple has embraced the concept [hygge] as a way of life — joining a handful of authentic estate producers of small-batch, craft-distilled spirits.”