Driftless Glen

About Driftless Glen

Driftless Glen Essential Facts

Driftless Glen Distillery is a craft distillery located in Baraboo, WI. Our spirits were made on the idea of quality rather than cutting costs. All the bottling, labels, and spirits themselves have been perfected through years of work. We have a full range of spirits including vodka, gin, moonshine, brandy. We are producing a total of 2,000 barrels of bourbon and rye whiskey a year, with the first two year straights coming out in early 2017. Additionally we have a nationally marketed product in the works. The owners of Driftless Glen are Brian and Renee Bemis. Brian Bemis went into the distilling business with an already great reputation as an accomplished business man. Brian has founded and owned a number of successful businesses including 12 Automotive Franchises. His wife, Renee Bemis, has been equally successful in the art world. Renee is a world class sculptor with her work placed all over the nation. The two, as successful as they are separately, wanted something they could create and build together as a marriage and a business. With Brian's business savvy skills and Renee's creativity, a distillery was a perfect choice for the two. Brian and Renee were not experts in the distilling world so they brought Dave Pickerell, a well known consultant in the industry to help. Brian and Renee have been able to build and create this business with zero debt and remain well capitalized. Driftless Glen Distillery was established in 2012. The entire company and grounds were built from scratch. Brian and Renee felt that the distillery should be an experience rather than a building. With that in mind, they chose property right on the water overlooking the bluffs in Baraboo WI. Not only is the surrounding area beautiful but Baraboo's climate and soil make for a great product. From the great filtration the sandy soil creates for our water to the early morning fog creating humidity for our barrels. Our distillery size is quite impressive for such a young company. We have a Vendome 550 gallon copper pot still. Adjacent to it is our Vendome 42 ft continuous column with a 24 in diameter. We have a third still on its way as well to separate dark and clear spirits. With this equipment we are producing 8 barrels a day (53 gallon). Nik Flora is our award winning head distiller. Nik was the head distiller at Smooth Ambler for over 5 years. Nik has won multiple gold medals in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for his Gin and Vodka. We opened Driftless Glen to the public in April of 2015. We have a 5 star restaurant and bar within our distillery which has made us a top tourist attraction in the area. Our retail store has averaged 600 bottles per month in sales. Our bar has developed an impressive cocktail list used with our in-house spirits.