Steel Toe Distillery sits along Highway 200 in Bonner, Montana, a small community nestled between the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers where the old lumber industry once thrived. Founded by husband-and-wife team Mike and Sarah Johnson, this craft distillery opened its doors in 2019 after Mike’s 25-year career as a heavy equipment operator and Sarah’s background in hospitality management. The name Steel Toe pays homage to Mike’s blue-collar roots and the working-class heritage of the Bonner area, where generations of loggers and mill workers built their lives around hard work and honest craft. The distillery operates out of a converted warehouse space that once served the local timber industry, maintaining that connection to Bonner’s industrial past while creating something entirely new for the community. They focus primarily on whiskey production, with their bourbon and rye whiskey leading the charge, though they’ve also ventured into vodka and seasonal spirits. The Johnsons wanted to create something that honored both the craftsmanship traditions of Montana and the no-nonsense work ethic that defined their own careers before diving into distilling. Sarah handles the business operations and visitor experience while Mike oversees production, having learned his distilling techniques through a combination of formal training in Colorado and months of trial-and-error experimentation in their garage before opening the full operation.