Iron Fish's Copper Queen

Bottoms Up

By Patrick Sullivan | Jan. 11, 2020

A Benzie County distillery is offering a taste of Michigan’s Copper Country in a whiskey that’s based on a century-old recipe.

Copper Queen, originally served in the saloons of Red Jacket — now Calumet —  when the copper mining industry made the Keweenaw Peninsula an economic powerhouse, has been born again, thanks to a couple of local business owners who found an old bottle and advocated for its reintroduction. Iron Fish Distillery of Thompsonville took up the cause and saved the Copper Queen recipe from obscurity, releasing the classic high-grade whiskey just as it was: made from a blend of corn, rye, and malt barley, and at 86 proof, packing an earthy and smooth bite.

“We carefully sourced and relabeled this timeless elixir as a commemorative whiskey celebrating the splendor and heritage of Michigan’s Copper Country,” said Richard Anderson, a partner at Iron Fish.

In an ode to its origins, Anderson said proceeds from the sale of Copper Queen are donated to the historic Calumet Theater.

Try a taste at the distillery, 14234 Dzuibanek Rd., or find a purveyor near you at ironfishdistillery.com.