Maine maker of Italian liqueur toasts award with expansion plan
Photo / Courtesy of Liquid Riot
Glass act: Fernet Michaud, an Italian liqueur made by Portland's Liquid Riot, was named Best Amaro of the Year in the New Orleans Spirits Competition.
Fernet Michaud, an Italian-style liqueur made by Portland beverage producer Liquid Riot, recently racked up another award in an international competition.
The latest prize, Best Amaro of the Year, was awarded by the New Orleans Spirits Competition. The contest launched in 2022 to spotlight high-quality beverages worldwide in numerous categories. This year, more than 440 entrants sent samples for evaluation.
Liquid Riot’s winning drink, made from infusing a base alcohol with a proprietary blend of herbs, roots, flowers and spices, is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif.
The 82-proof concoction boasts several other awards for Liquid Riot, which celebrated a decade in business earlier this year as Maine’s first hybrid of a craft brewery and distillery.
“Our whole team is excited for this one,” said Ian Michaud, Liquid Riot’s head distiller, who founded the company with brother Eric Michaud. “It’s such a wonderfully complex spirit that can be sipped neat or used as an addition to any cocktail recipe calling for bitters. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend you do.”
The drink, one of Liquid Riot's original offerings, remains a top product for the 30-employee company, he noted.
Expansion plan
Fernet Michaud is sold in Maine, New York and Massachusetts, but can be shipped nationwide with Illinois (Chicago) and California (Los Angeles) next on the list for distribution, said Hannah Martin, Liquid Riot’s director of sales and marketing.
“Over the last year, we have begun selling our spirits, starting with Fernet Michaud, in the New York City market, which now allows us to ship nationwide through our external partners,” she told Mainebiz.
“Garnering the title of Best Amaro by such a prestigious spirit competition could allow us to sell more products to more people in more states, which would grow our business to the next level," she added.
This year's edition of the New Orleans Spirits Competition featured live judging across categories including domestic and international brands of whiskey, gin, brandy, haiku, vodka, rum, agave spirits, liqueurs and nonalcoholic beverages.
Coincidentally, one of the competition’s founders, Wayne Curtis, splits his time between New Orleans and Maine, according to a spokeswoman for the organizer.
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