Michigan Distiller Uses Great Lakes Shipwrecks to Create Historic Flavors [Video]

A group of distillers and scientists have tapped the holds of a Great Lakes shipwreck in an attempt to revive a 19th-century varietal of rye – and bring back a thriving regional whiskey industry.

Mammoth Distilling, a Michigan-based whiskey maker and importer, wants to tap the state’s maritime heritage to produce enticing spirits literally steeped in the past. It has several ventures aimed at incorporating local wrecks into its product lineup. Last year, Mammoth said that it would work with wreck-hunter Ross Richardson to raise a part of the lost steamer Westmoreland and turn a section of the hull – old-growth white oak – into whiskey barrel staves. “Mammoth would like to produce a whiskey flavored by the shipwreck wood . . . to be able to smell and taste history,” Richardson told local media last year. “The idea is to take forgotten wood on the bottom of the lake …