BIGFORK – You’ll now be able to raise a glass as crews raise the new walls of the Sperry Chalet with a Bigfork distillery launching a new product to help generate money for the historic shelter’s reconstruction.
Whistling Andy Distilling launched its new vodka, “The Spirit of Sperry” on Wednesday — a special blend that’s been in development since the chalet burned in last September’s fires.
General Manager Dax VanFossen says owners Brian Anderson and Lisa Cloutier and the entire staff wanted to pitch in to not only raise funds but to honor the chalet and its place in Glacier National Park.
“We all spend time in the backcountry. We all love Glacier National Park. And Brian and Lisa basically did not want to let this thing go undone and not do some sort of fight here to try and help the cause,” VanFossen said.
“This project and Sperry Chalet is so important to us. So for the first 365-days of the first year, we’re donating 100% of the profits that we make on this. Obviously, we put money into stuff. But 100% of the profits are going to go back to the Glacier National Park Conservancy,” he added.
“The Spirit of Sperry” is a huckleberry-infused vodka, with Japanese Shiso leaves and Douglas Fir tips. The idea is to create a quality beverage that represents the unique lifestyle and culture of Northwest Montana with a flavor that can’t be found anywhere else.
“When I think of Glacier National Park and Northwest Montana you get that huckleberry. It’s a vodka-based of course. And then the Douglas Fir chips just add that right little infusion of Montana into the Spirit. It’s very, very, very smooth,” VanFossen explained.
The first batch of “The Spirit of Sperry” is already spoken for, but a second batch will be out soon and will be available Whistling Andy Distilling in Bigfork and should make it into state liquor stores the first part of the week, soon followed by local restaurants.
Reporting by Dennis Bragg for MTN News
