Say Cheese! This Craft Distillery Wants to Turn Cheese Byproducts into Gin

Craft Distillery, Knowlton House, will be making gin out of cheese byproducts. What a brie-utiful idea! (Photo: Polina Tankilevitch/Pexels)

Knowlton House, a Wisconsin-based craft distillery, is scheduled to open its doors in spring of 2023. It plans to create a line of gin, whiskey and vodka from milk sugar (whey), a cheese byproduct.

The distillery’s location is set to be next door to cheese manufacturer, Mullins Cheese, in the “heart of dairy land,” according to Knowlton House. Mullins Cheese is a family owned and operated company founded in 1970 and produces seven million pounds of milk per day.

These new cheese-sourced spirits, named TenHead, are the result of combining two passions: distilling and cheese making. According to WSAU, the two owners, Luke and Heather Mullins, have respective experience and passions in each profession.

Luke Mullins comes from a long line of dairy farmers and is a fourth generation cheesemaker. Heather Mullins has a master’s degree in brewing science.

“Just like potato vodka doesn’t taste like potatoes, milk vodka doesn’t taste like milk,” Heather Mullins said in a report. “It’s still a very traditional vodka. However, it has a smoother, more velvety texture due to its source.” These properties will presumably be the same for both the TenHead gin and whiskey. We look forward to it!

Distillery tours, classes, craft cocktails and food will also be offered at Knowlton House.

“Our family’s legacy is rooted in Wisconsin agriculture,” the distillery wrote on social media. “We stay true to our heritage & craft #TenHead spirits from pure milk sugar for exceptional smoothness.”

Interested in spirits sourced from whey? Check out Ballyvolane House Spirits Company’s Irish milk gin, Bertha’s Revenge.

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