By JOHN GESSNER
Saint Mary’s Distillery, located on Saint Mary’s Ridge, near Cashton, survived to celebrate their second anniversary. Having opened on the first weekend of September 2020, at the height of Covid, it was not known if they would even reach a single anniversary. Kory and Melissa Revels bought the property several years ago, with the intention of starting a hobby business, and it took off from there. When they bought the property, it was a dull, mid-winter setting, but when Spring came, the real beauty of the rolling hills and farmland appeared. In the mid-1960s, on a tour of the Midwest, Lady Bird Johnson said, “This is one of America’s most beautiful places.”
Normally open Saturdays from noon until 8 p.m., the Saint Mary’s Distillery opened to 500 plus people, on a special Sunday, to celebrate their anniversary. At their celebration, polka music was provided by the Mississippi Valley Dutchmen, who previously had played at the Sparta concert series this past summer. Food was provided by the Leon Livewires 4-H Club. Two special items were provided by two 14 year old entrepreneurs. Brooke Brueggens was on hand with her fresh, home baked cookies, based upon her grandma’s recipes. Also available was ice cream. The Revels daughter, Morgan, also wanted to start a business, and fresh ice cream was her choice.
The distillery specializes in rum and brandy and offers a variety of drinks. Their most popular is the Brandy Old Fashion, followed closely by the Rum Mojito. All of their specialty drinks have catchy names, to include the Saint Bloody Mary and the Painkiller. Rum has been around since 350 BC, originally found in the Caribbean, where the key ingredients, sugar cane and molasses are plentiful. In the 1600s, pirates used rum as a form of currency; just don’t drink all of the profits. The Revels say that, “We are not anywhere close to the Caribbean, but we believe the sunsets are better and we hope the drinks are too.”
As they move into Fall, the distillery has beautiful views of the changing leaves. September and October are reported to be the prime months for ATV rides, as evidenced by the dozens of ATVs in the parking lot. The Revels invite you to come and sip on one of their specialty drinks and take in the beauty of St. Mary’s ridge, within sight of the historic St. Mary’s church. The distillery is available for private functions on Fridays as well. They are located at 26001 Melrose Road in Cashton, just off of Highway U. Check them out on Facebook or their website at: www.stmarysdistillery.com.
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