Up North Distillery in Post Falls earns national recognition
Up North co-owner Randy Mann remained humble while showing off the distillery's plethora of award-winning drinks on the bar behind him. "I don't go out and seek it," he said.
Jack DeWitt/PRESS
Up North Distillery owned by Randy and Hilary Mann was recognized as the #4 Best Craft Specialty Spirits producer in the nation in the 2026 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
Photo courtesy Up North Distillery
POST FALLS — Up North Distillery is celebrating a major achievement after USA Today named it No. 4 on its Top 10 craft distilleries list.
The recognition comes as co-owners Randy and Hilary Mann celebrate the distillery's 11th anniversary.
"This achievement belongs to our amazing customers and community just as much as it does to us," the Manns said in a press release.
Randy Mann opened Up North while working at Avista, clocking out of building pole lines for the power company, and then clocking in at Up North to make or sell drinks. In January 2020, amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, he left Avista to devote his time to the distillery.
“That was quite scary,” he said.
He does not regret the decision.
“I probably wouldn’t have been able to grow the way I have if I hadn’t left that life,” he said. “Six years later, this is amazing.”
A somewhat unique part of Up North’s distilling process drew attention from USA Today. In 2025, they placed sixth on the same list. Up North is one of a handful of distilleries nationwide that use 100% honey in their mash. The USA Today article called their Honey Bourbon “wonderfully smooth and delicate.”
The honey, while a unique and rich ingredient, presents a challenge for Randy.
“It takes longer than anything else,” he said.
While barley can ferment in three days and apple juice in four, honey can take up to 14 days to fully ferment, meaning Randy can spend weeks on a single batch.
“It’s a time investment,” he said.
Another complicating part of the process is fermenting honey. Because of its natural properties, Randy said, yeast can struggle to thrive during fermentation.
“Honey wants to kill anything that comes into its ecosystem,” he said. “You’ve got to keep feeding it other stuff.”
Randy said the idea for the honey distilled spirits “fell into his lap.” When he bought his distilling equipment, the honey came with it.
He said that the recognition was unexpected.
“I mean it's just like, really? Me?” he said.
The Manns own both Up North Distillery on Seltice Way in Post Falls and The Bees Knees Whiskey Bar on Lancaster Road in Hayden.
Up North Distillery owned by Randy and Hilary Mann was recognized as the #4 Best Craft Specialty Spirits producer in the nation in the 2026 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.