Arnold, CA…Hinterhaus Distilling, the 2020-founded craft distillery in the California Sierra Nevada by husband/wife owners & operators Nate & Bonnie Randall, received top honors for its wine-distilled Vodka at the American Distilling Institute’s 2021 Judging of Craft Spirits in Louisville, KY. Earning a Double Gold and Best of Category for Vodka with Residual Character, the award comes just 9 months after the distillery’s founding.

The ADI Awards are the oldest and largest of any craft spirit competition. Each year, it accepts US and international entries in all classes and categories of distilled spirits. Seeking to promote the production of world class artisanal spirits, ADI has become a beacon for the craft distilling industry and a global network of independently owned and operated, small batch spirit producers.

Hinterhaus Vodka results from paying meticulous attention to every detail of this small batch spirit. Distilled from 100% California wine and utilizing the distillery’s fresh Sierra water and 20-plate column still, Owner/Distiller Nate Randall sacrifices quantity in favor of quality by taking tight heart cuts for this vodka. It boasts a rich, luscious mouthfeel and cotton candy-like aromas. Presented unadulterated and completely free of additives, sugars, and flavorings, it is exclusively sold at Hinterhaus Distilling in Arnold, CA.

“We’re proud of this recognition and the confirmation that it brings to us,” says Owner/Distiller Nate Randall. “We work under the ethos of utilizing local resources whenever possible to produce spirits tied to our location that resonate within our community. We are grateful for the opportunity to represent our region among the world’s finest distilled spirits and thank everyone who has enthusiastically embraced that mission.”

Anorak Liqueur earned a Silver Medal at the ADI awards. Inspired by the herbal Alpine digestifs of Europe and the German Kräuterlikör, this spirit is likewise distilled from California wine and 23 herbs and botanicals. It is sweetened ever so gently with agave syrup and aged for several months in whiskey barrels. Terrific served neat, it makes for a tantalizing cocktail component as it contains sweet, herbal, and bitter components. It is exclusively sold at Hinterhaus Distilling in Arnold, CA.

ABOUT HINTERHAUS DISTILLING LLC- Founded amidst the global pandemic in 2020, husband/wife team Nate and Bonnie Randall are the owners, operators, and distiller (Nate). Hinterhaus sits in the small Sierra town of Arnold, CA, at elevation 4300ft. Located in one of California’s least populated counties (Calaveras), it offers a year-round tourist destination for skiers, boaters, hikers, and sportsmen. The distillery leverages a 150-gallon hybrid still designed by Cage & Sons in Alberta, Canada. Its on-site Alpine modern bottle shop, tasting and cocktail room, and branded gear mercantile welcome patrons in with large windows that allow for viewing into the production and aging space.

Collaborating with a variety of local and regional partners including vintners and brewers is a hallmark of the distillery. From wine-distilled vodka and gin, to bourbon whiskey that is finished in local wine barrels and an upcoming bierschnaps distilled from local beer, the spirit lineup pays homage to the bounty that surrounds the distillery. The Hinterhaus American Single Malt program recently commenced using floor-malted and Northern California grown barley from Admiral Maltings in Alameda, CA, and mash created for the purpose from two local breweries. Partnerships such as these allow the Randalls to produce unique, small batch spirits that reflect their region’s many robust offerings.