Cheese to Booze? How This Wisconsin Family Created Award-Winning Spirits

What happens when Wisconsin’s biggest family-owned cheese producer also makes world-class spirits? Meet Mullins Cheese—processing over 9 million pounds of milk daily, transforming it into Italian-style cheeses, cheddar, and parmesan. But that’s not all! The Knowlton House Distillery takes dairy innovation one step further by distilling spirits from milk sugars, turning byproducts into vodka and gin. Join us on this epic Wisconsin adventure, from massive cheese vats to craft distilling, and discover how this third-generation dairy family is redefining farm-to-table—and farm-to-bottle. Subscribe for more Midwest food stories and behind-the-scenes culinary adventures! Locations Featured: Mullins Cheese – Wisconsin’s largest family-owned cheese producer www.mullinscheese.com Knowlton House Distillery – Craft spirits made from cheese byproducts www.knowltonhousedistillery.com Chapters: 00:00 - Episode Overview 00:57 - Intro – A Wisconsin Love Story Begins 02:15 - Arriving at Mullins Cheese – The Dairy Powerhouse 03:30 - Tour of Mullins Cheese Facility 04:00 - The Science Behind Cheesemaking – Pasteurization & Standardization 06:20 - So Many Cheese Curds! 07:20 - Curds Formed Into Blocks of Cheese 08:30 - The Whey Process – Separating Cheese from Spirits 12:30 - The Start of the Process – Milk Sugars into Beer 13:55 - The Still House – Distillers Beer into Vodka 15:50 - The Heads and Hearts – Separating the Good Stuff 16:20 - “All Gin is Made from Vodka” – The Process Explained 17:03 - Preparing Botanicals for Gin – No Secrets Given! 17:49 - Adding Botanicals to “Bitty” – Crafting Unique Flavors 20:30 - Luke Attempts to Bottle Fresh Gin 22:08 - Bloopers & Behind-the-Scenes Fun 👉 Love Wisconsin food & drinks? Hit that subscribe button and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode! 🔔 SUBSCRIBE NOW: www.youtube.com/wisconsinfoodie 💬 What’s your favorite Wisconsin cheese or spirit? Let us know in the comments!