New distillery features local flavor

With the opening of the new Spotted Bear Spirits in Whitefish, the downtown scene has expanded in both flavor and charm.

Bottles from the first batch of Confluence Vodka line the shelves behind the bar, while mint, cinnamon and other cocktail ingredients draw the boundary between bartender and patron.

On Dec. 16, Spotted Bear Distilling opened its doors for a soft opening, rolling out its six-drink menu and two-story tasting room to the Flathead Valley.

Whitefish resident Chance Ling and a friend entered the tasting room for the first time on Dec. 17. He said Spotted Bear makes a great addition to Whitefish’s already thriving downtown community.

“It adds a little flavor and a little scenery,” Ling said. “It’s a nice social addition.”

Spotted Bear founder Lauren Oscilowski said she was both nervous and excited at the chance to reveal the spirits she’s been formulating for the last three years. She said Whitefish offers one of the best communities of businesses and patrons to launch an operation such as Spotted Bear Spirits.

“Whitefish is super receptive to small business startups,” Oscilowski said. “Just look at downtown: it’s all small businesses, and businesses by people who are pursuing their passions. I think that’s part of why people love Whitefish.”

Spotted Bear currently offers vodka and soon gin will be added. An agave will be the next release, followed by a whiskey as time allows. Over the past several months the Spotted Bear crew has been carefully crafting the distillery’s signature Confluence Vodka.

“We tried to make the vodka as clean as possible; triple distilled, filtered and filtered and filtered,” Oscilowski said. “It’s clean and sweet, with several hints of spice on the back end, but very smooth.”

The ingredients mirror the local flavors of Northwest Montana. The vegetables instilled in the cocktails come from Two Bear Farm near Whitefish; the herbs and spices come from Wicked Good Herbs in Whitefish; the hops come from Glacier Hops Ranch, also of Whitefish; and fruits come from the area surrounding Flathead Lake.

The vodka bottles come with a reusable swing-top, allowing customers to return the bottle once they’ve finished the spirit. Returning the bottle waives $5 off the cost of the next bottle. The list of drinks plays on several distillery staples. There’s the Big Mountain Mule, like the copper cupped Moscow Mule but topped with jalapeños instead of lime. Or the Snow Ghost, a coffee liqueur cocktail made in collaboration with Whitefish’s Montana Coffee Traders and Kalispell Kreamery.

Oscilowski has been on the distillery path for quite some time now, having worked in production at Glacier Distilling Co. for several years. She said she had played around with the idea of different vodka recipes for years, eventually breaking away from Glacier Distilling in Coram to blaze her own trail. She’s gotten a little help from the Montana distilling community, one that she describes as open, resourceful and willing to share their own experiences in the craft.

“There’s this idea that if we all put out this quality product and represent the state well, it really does well for everyone,” she said.

After finding the location at 503 Railway St. about a year ago, she began building her staff of eight. She said that number might grow as traffic picks up.

“I wanted people who have a passion for living here in the community,” she said. “The first night we got together and started playing around with new and different drinks, I was pleasantly surprised, and impressed.”

Oscilowski has big plans for the new microdistillery. In the long term, she’s already got her sights set on a larger manufacturing facility and a wide distribution network.

“In the next two or three years, once we understand what we can do, I’d like to take a step back and open up a warehouse to start seriously laying down barrels of whiskeys and making tequilas,” she said.

So far, the microdistillery operates one vodka still that can produce about 2,500 cases a year. Oscilowski said she’s already considering upgrading the equipment in light of support from the Whitefish community.

In the coming months, she hopes to offer distillery tours, hands-on distilling workshops and cocktail mixing classes. When summer rolls around, Spotted Bear Spirits may even set up shop at the summer downtown farmers market.

“People are so fascinated now with how things are made, where it’s grown. People want to know as much as they can, and distilling is just a natural extension of that,” Oscilowski said. “I want to provide that to our patrons and the community, for it to feel like a home they can be a part of.”

Spotted Bear Spirits is open from noon to 8 p.m. seven days a week.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.