Rehorst's artisan vodka grows stonger still in this brew city

You'd expect Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood to be the home of a small microbrewery, lovingly producing a few thousand barrels of beer annually. You might not expect that neighborhood to be the headquarters of an artisan vodka distillery, a building that produces just 2,000 bottles each month.

But right under your nose is Great Lakes Distillery, which produces Rehorst Vodka. Before this venture, owner Guy Rehorst ran a CD and DVD manufacturing company, but was looking for a new opportunity. He wasn't a vodka connoisseur at the time, but two years into the business, he's learned a thing or two about the clear and potent spirit.

"I went from high-tech manufacturing to an industry that's 3,000 years old," says Rehorst. "But frankly, I needed something like that."

Rehorst, who lives in Mequon, says people are surprised that a firm is making vodka in Milwaukee.

"I think that's probably one of the greatest things about our business, that it generates a lot of interest, because people are like, 'What do you mean, a vodka distillery in Milwaukee?'"

The distillery is located on Holton Avenue, but for what he cites as legal purposes, Rehorst doesn't give tours or even openly disclose his address. "The federal government wants to ensure that the tax revenue is protected, so they don't like us giving out our street address," he says.

He started selling product last October, and it's available at about 400 locations in Southeastern Wisconsin, Madison and the Fox Valley. Rehorst says about 150 of the locations are liquor stores, and the rest are bars.

Rehorst describes his vodka as a little higher quality than Grey Goose or Ketel One. He says his spirits have a slight sweetness to them, which is a natural flavor -- not fortified with sugar. Rehorst Vodka is priced competitively, too, for a premium brand.

"It has a little more of the taste of the source ingredient, the wheat mash, that we produce," he says. "We're not manufacturing it in a large industrial ethanol still -- we're doing in a pot still which was really designed for brandy."

"It's made with enough care that it's a very smooth product," says Rehorst. And as for his personal favorite vodka drink, he stands by the martini -- without any vermouth.

Rehorst says he's constantly tasting and smelling the product for impurities, and every part of the product gets used. Even the "head" of the vodka is recycled for cleaning fluid.

Rehorst says that his distillery has some room to grow, but if he starts distilling other spirits like gin, rum or whiskey, he may need additional storage space at another location.

"When we get into whiskey production, I think we will have to get an additional still," he says.

Currently, Rehorst can produce about 3,000 bottles of vodka per month, which is very small compared to the national brands. He has two employees at the distillery, as well as a friend who helps him with marketing.

"If we're not the smallest in the country, we're one of the smallest," says Rehorst. "But we're having a blast. The worst thing that could happen is that no one buys it and we have to drink it ourselves."