We've been nominated! And you can help us win!

 
USA TODAY
10BEST DISTILLERY AWARDS 


Best Craft Vodka Distillery - currently #3 of 20
Best Craft Rum Distillery - currently #5 of 20



Our awesome spirits earned us the nominations, and now we need your daily votes to win! We have the best fans — thanks a million for keeping us on top in this national competition.
 
Vote daily until Sept. 23.

NEW RELEASE
 

CREEKBEND BRANDY

Available by the bottle (750ml, $35) and in cocktails at the distillery now!

A Bloomington brandy through and through! Crafted entirely with Catawba grapes grown locally at Oliver Winery’s Creekbend Vineyard, and distilled and aged in toasted oak barrels at Cardinal Spirits. Vintage 2016.

Catawba grapes are the prize pick of the vineyard in our part of the Midwest. And this is how we celebrate them: by distilling a world-class brandy that can be enjoyed neat or in cocktails.
 

MORE NEW SPIRITS FOR FALL

refresh your bar cart with our latest releases!

OKTOBERFEST WHISKEY

distilled seasonal Oktoberfest lager from Bloomington’s Upland Brewing Company

aged in an Upland oyster stout barrel for nearly three years

 briny, earthy whiskey with milk chocolate notes

we made it on a whim, and it turned out weirdly wonderful (whew!)

 

LA BOÎTE AMERICAN AMARO

a superbly spiced spirit made in collaboration with La Boîte spice company in NYC

bring a bottle right to the table to sip with a meal, like wine

your dinner party superstar for fall 

COCKTAIL RECIPE

Brandy Old-Fashioneds are back in a big way. Google has a million recipes, but here's how we make ours at the distillery, with our superbly smooth Creekbend Brandy. Elegant, spirit-forward, not-too-sweet, and proudly Midwestern — this storied cocktail with supper club roots feels fresh again thanks to a new wave of craft brandies like ours. 

BRANDY OLD FASHIONED

2 oz Cardinal Spirits Creekbend Brandy
.25 oz Cardinal Spirits Flora liqueur
5 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange peel, for garnish
.
Add all ingredients except orange peel to a rocks glass with a large cube of ice. Stir well. Pinch the orange peel over the glass to release the oils into the drink, then drop the peel into the glass to garnish.