Glacier Distilling Company
Overview of the Distillery
Glacier Distilling is located in Coram, Montana, a few miles from Glacier National Park, and is a small-batch craft distillery with a tasting room. They produce American single malts, rye- and blended whiskeys, as well as fruit brandies and liqueurs using locally grown grains, hand-picked huckleberries, Flathead cherries, and glacial spring water. The tasting room invites visitors to tastings and bottle purchases, and the distillery’s range clearly shows a local grounding and experimental cask use.
History
The idea for Glacier Distilling emerged in the winter of 2009–10 when a group of friends gathered in a cabin along the North Fork and decided that local distillation was 'prudent'. The company was registered on January 20, 2010 and received its operating license on December 28 of the same year. Inspired by Josephine Doody, an early local moonshiner, the team chose to launch an unaged rye so they could quickly offer a home-produced product. Shortly after followed North Fork, Bearproof and Logan Pass, and since then the portfolio has grown with single-barrel expressions, fruit brandies, and experimental finishes, while a core team has developed production and sales from the distillery in Coram.
Raw Materials and Production
The production’s raw materials are largely local: Montana-grown barley, rye and corn, hand-picked wild huckleberries, Flathead cherries, Honeycrisp apples, and grapes from nearby vineyards. Everything happens on-site from fermentation to bottling, and the distillery covers a spectrum of products from 100% Montana single malt to traditional rye and bourbon styles, as well as fruit brandies and liqueurs. Some products use unconventional sources, for example Two Med, which is made from a local beer, and Glacier Dew Vodka is described as triple-distilled and charcoal-filtered. The distillery’s approach combines small-batch craftsmanship with ongoing experiments in mash, distillation, and cask selection.
Aging and Cask Types
Glacier primarily uses charred American oak barrels and ex-rye barrels for aging. Several spirits gain extra character via finishing in special casks; Reasonable & Prudent, for example, receives a stout finish, and the distillery experiments with Chardonnay- and sherry-finished casks, and even a Laphroaig Scotch whisky cask for North Fork Blue single-barrel releases. Some releases have stated ages (Bad Rock is three years; Two Med is aged two years), while other releases use varied finishes to add nuance to the base material.
Whiskies
The portfolio includes core products such as Logan Pass (American Single Malt), North Fork (Traditional American whiskey), Bearproof (huckleberry-single malt), Fireweed (Cherry Bourbon), Two Med (Hopped malt), Trapline Rock + Rye (Flavoured whiskey), Bad Rock (Straight rye), Belton Bridge Bourbon and Reasonable & Prudent (blended whisky). In addition, North Fork Blue is released as a single-barrel/limited-expression, and the tasting room serves as a sales channel for both standard releases and experimental small-batch releases.
| Whisky | Type / Series | Alcohol | Age | Cask and Style | Tasting Notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Pass | American Single Malt | 45 % | Ex-rye whiskey barrels | An American single malt distilled from 100% Montana barley with pure glacial spring water, aged in ex-rye barrels.; Nose: Wildflower honey, gently toasted grain; Palate: Gently toasted grain and warming wood spice | Core range; Sold in the tasting room, in Montana and shipped to selected U.S. states | |
| North Fork | Traditional American style whiskey | 46 % | Charred American white oak barrel | A traditional American whiskey where the grain bill is balanced for harmony and aged in charred American white oak barrels.; Nose: Rye adds spice and earthy body; corn contributes a sweeter finish | Core range; Sold in the tasting room and in Montana; distribution to selected states | |
| Bearproof | Single Malt (huckleberry flavored) | 35 % | Barrel aged (not specified) | A single malt, barrel aged and flavored with juice from real, hand-picked wild huckleberries to add local berry character. | Core range; Sold in the tasting room and in stores in Montana | |
| Fireweed | Cherry Bourbon (blend) | 40 % | Oak barrels (blend of cherry brandy and bourbon) | A cherry-bourbon produced by blending cherry brandy distilled from Flathead Lake cherries with bourbon; five pounds of cherries used per bottle.; Notes: Cherry notes from Flathead Lake cherries with a light sweetness and bourbon finish | Core range; Sold in the tasting room and locally in Montana | |
| Two Med | Hopped malt whiskey | 43 % | 2 years | Charred American oak barrel (2 years) | An experimental hopped malt, made from a local beer (Good Medicine Strong Red Ale); the hops contribute unusual flavor notes to the malt whiskey.; Notes: Hops-derived notes such as citrus and maple candy | Core range; Sold in the tasting room |
| Trapline Rock + Rye | Flavoured Whiskey (rock & rye style) | 40 % | A traditional rock & rye: the house rye sweetened with honey and flavored with orange and aromatic spices. Award-winning flavored whiskey. | Core range; Sold in the tasting room and in Montana | ||
| Bad Rock | Straight Rye Whiskey (cask strength) | 3 years | Oak barrels (not specified) | A three-year straight rye bottled at cask strength, described with toasted vanilla, spice and dried fruit in the profile.; Nose: Toasted vanilla; Palate: Bright spice, black pepper with hints of dried apricots, malt and black tea | Core range; Sold in the tasting room | |
| Belton Bridge Bourbon | Bourbon | 45 % | Oak barrels (small-batch bourbon) | A small-batch bourbon honoring a historic bridge near Glacier National Park; highlights toffee, vanilla and roasted oak elements.; Flavor: Sweet toffee and vanilla, with notes of walnut, black tea and roasted oak | Core range; Sold in the tasting room and in Montana | |
| North Fork Blue | Single Barrel Series; North Fork Single Barrel Series (Blue Label) | The North Fork Single Barrel series (Blue Label) offers single-barrel expressions based on North Fork Rye with varying finishing finishes and experiments. | Limited/single-barrel releases in the tasting room | |||
| Reasonable & Prudent | Blended Whisky | 40 % | Stout barrels (finish); finish: Finished in stout barrels for depth and balance | A blended whisky designed for balance and everyday use; made from Montana barley and finished in stout-finished casks for depth. | Core range; Sold in the tasting room and in Montana |
Whiskies’ Style and Flavor Profiles
Several recurring flavor directions appear across the range: fruitiness in the form of cherry (Fireweed, Daughter of the Sun) and huckleberry (Bearproof), malt and honey notes especially on the single malts (Logan Pass) and a spiced rye character with black pepper in rye releases such as North Fork and Bad Rock. Bourbon releases bring sweeter vanilla and toffee tones, while experimental products like Two Med add unusual citrus and syrup-like hop notes.
Visiting the Distillery
The tasting room in Coram is open daily 10:00–20:00 and offers tasting flights, signature cocktails, and the option to purchase bottles to take home. The distillery is about 7 miles from Glacier National Park’s entrance, making it a perfect stop for park visitors. Visitors must be 21+ to participate in tastings or purchase alcohol, and leash-trained dogs are welcome on the terrace.
The stated hours are Open Daily | 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM.
Philosophy and Craft
Glacier Distilling emphasizes letting quality begin with the raw materials: local grains and fruits, pure glacial water, and artisanal small-batch production. The distillery prioritizes genuine ingredients without artificial flavorings and actively works with cask experiments and single-barrel expressions to highlight both the site’s character and creative variations.
Awards and Recognitions
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Gold Medal (Gold, Logan Pass)
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Gold Medal (2017, Gold, North Fork)
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Gold Medal (2017, Gold, Fireweed)
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Gold Medal (2021, Gold, Trapline Rock + Rye)
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Silver Medal (2019, Silver, Trapline Rock + Rye)
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Silver Medal (2026, Silver, Glacier Dew Vodka)
Latest News
Glacier Distilling Company Releases Montana’s First “Pisco” – 2019-07-07
Glacier Distilling released a grape spirit inspired by Aguardiente/Pisco made with Marquette grapes from Spotted Bear Vineyard. The project uses local grapes from the Flathead Lake region to create a new-world approach to pisco.