Yes, Whey
There’s more to Wheyward Spirit than making a unique, uncategorized juice ritten by RICH MANNING W Photos provided by WHEYWARD SPIRIT
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mily Darchuk is a spitfire. The founder, CEO, and maker of Wheyward Spirit in Eugene, Oregon, radiates a confident enthusiasm at events and tradeshows when discussing her two whey-based specialty spirits: the clear, unaged original spirit and the barrel-aged brown spirit dubbed “Wheyskey.” At first, her ebullience may appear to stem from a passion for making spirits, and that passion is there without dispute. Start asking questions about the bottles — specifically, why make a spirit from whey and not grain — and a deeper level of passion comes to the surface. Darchuk isn’t just making Wheyward to create a unique “Farm-to-Flask” spirit that defies the traditional categories like vodka or gin. She’s using it to make a noticeable statement of sustainability.
“We figured the world probably didn’t need another whiskey brand,” she said. “Instead, we made the decision to create a narrative brand for good.” Understanding how Darchuk strives to cultivate this positive, impactful narrative requires digging into Wheyward’s backbone ingredient and quasi-namesake, whey. Doing so demonstrates why it’s crucial beyond its ability to produce excellent, award-winning spirits.
Whey 101 When cheesemakers create cheese from milk, they also produce whey, a watery, protein-rich substance that’s essentially milk with the stuff needed to make cheese removed. Whey is a residual product that’s created in abundance: For every 10 pounds of milk used to make W W W . ARTISANSPIRITMAG . C O M