Don’t be surprised if this cherry Whiskey becomes your summertime fling.

Leopold Bros. was founded by Todd and Scott Leopold in 1999. Todd has degrees in Malting and Brewing and Scott has his degrees in Economics and Industrial Engineering. These two brothers have since done the sensible thing and founded a distillery — first in Michigan, then moving everything back to their home state of Colorado. Their core line-up today is winning lots of awards and consists of Gins, Whiskies, Vodka, Aperitifs, an Absinthe Vert, and a few other tidbits.

One of the unique things that they do at Leopold Bros. is bringing back old styles of Whiskey. Before prohibition, it was fairly common to flavor Whiskey in the barrel as it aged with fruit juice and spices. It’s a little like what we call a pre-made cocktail today. They make five of them, but today we are talking about Leopold Bros Michigan Cherry Whiskey. It starts with their core American Whiskey — a mash of corn and rye aged in oak. Then they add a bit of tart Montmorency cherry juice from Michigan to marry with the Whiskey. The flavor is bright and lightly sweet — almost Manhattan-like — with a rich burgundy color.