Former Whidbey Island resident Mike Sherlock is getting into the spirit of the holidays — or perhaps you could say he’s getting into spirits.

Sherlock and his wife, Patti, are the founders of Fremont Mischief Distillery and Tasting Room on N. Canal Street in Seattle.

Sherlock grew up on the south end of Whidbey Island, graduating from South Whidbey High School. His father owned a welding business and Sherlock learned the trade. But he was interested in the commercial fishing business and said he worked his way up to Alaska by welding. He bought his first fishing boat when he was 21 and spent seven years in Petersburg, Alaska, southeast of Juneau.

As Sherlock’s career evolved and changed, he found himself working at and owning various businesses, partnering with several of his fishing buddies for some of them. The winding business road led them to a distillery in Canada, and there Sherlock’s interest took an unexpected turn – distilling spirits.

“My fishermen buddies and I always helped each other out,” Sherlock said. “And we were always innovative, trying new things.”

Over the years, Sherlock said he bought his partners out. The result is Fremont Mischief.

Sherlock said they have strived to make the distillery more of a destination point, with lots of quirky things to look at when you visit. All their stills, which were made in Germany, are named after ladies. One of their whiskeys bears the name of Patti’s great-grandfather, John Jacob, and is based on his family recipe.

And Sherlock’s roots on Whidbey Island planted a seed that sprouted and helped make his distilled spirits even more distinctive.

“Through the years I had remembered that farmland up there; how rich and black the soil was,” said Sherlock. “We experimented with wheat from Eastern Washington and from Whidbey Island. The wheat from here (Whidbey Island), had a very distinctive taste.”

And thus was born a relationship with Ebey Road Farm in Coupeville.

“What a neat deal for us, to get to go back to where we were,” Sherlock said. “It’s neat coming from Whidbey Island and involving people from there in this.”

The wheat from Ebey Road Farm is used to make Mischief’s vodka. But it is Mischief’s rye whiskey that is garnering attention these days among those with ties to the military.

“When we started the distillery, we wanted to do something where we could give back to the community. We thought of all the men and women who have helped keep us free to do what we do,” said Sherlock.

While a portion of the proceeds from Mischief’s vodka and gin are donated to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a quarter of the profits from Mischief’s “Carry the Lantern” commemorative soldier whiskey are given to the Freedom Is Not Free organization. The nonprofit group makes grants to Purple Heart recipients and their families to help meet financial needs including expenses associated with medical care, travel, home modification and paying bills.

Each special edition bottle of Mischief’s ‘soldier whiskey’ features a unique set of dog tags. Each tag carries the name of wounded or fallen members of the Armed Forces, their rate (rank) the war in which they served and thanks from Fremont Mischief. The commemorative package was introduced around Veterans Day and Sherlock has traveled to the Exchange at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and Joint Base Lewis-McChord to tell people about it. While at the bases, Sherlock will make another customized dog tag in addition to the tag that comes on the package.

“We’ve found soldiers, sailors will come up to us and say ‘I served with this guy. I’m getting (a tag) for him and carrying it with me so they’ll never be forgotten,’” he said. “That’s the big thing we’ve noticed. This way they’ll  never be forgotten and it makes everyone aware of what (people in the Armed Forces) do for us.”

Sherlock will be returning to the NEX on Seaplane Base for another custom dog tag event on Friday, Dec. 16. Times are tentatively set for 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. A commemorative bottle of Mischief whiskey (750 ml) sells for $34.95.

“We are surprised at how well it’s selling, but then again we’re not,” he said. “It’s a neat thing. It makes everyone aware of our men and women in uniform.”

Custom tag event:

Representatives from Fremont Mischief will be at the NEX on Seaplane Base from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16.

Those interested may have additional custom dog tags created to go along with the tags already on each bottle of “Carry the Lantern” Commemorative Soldier Whiskey.  25 percent of the proceeds from each bottle sold is donated to Freedom Is Not Free, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting wounded service members and their families, and families of the fallen.