Introducing Mishka Vodka, Pennsylvania's first Black-owned distillery

ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania -- Russell Scott Fletcher found his passion for distilling in 2009 when he started making wine.

"What I learned really early in the wine game is that if you don't own a vineyard all the way out, you can get squeezed out of the market really, really fast. That ended up happening," says Fletcher.

So he started distilling vodka instead.

He dubbed his Vodka 'Mishka Vodka which means small bear or cuddly bear in Eastern European languages, paying homage to his Ukrainian wife.

His Vodka went on to win double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Currently, he makes a Honey vodka, a classic vodka and cranberry vodka.

His distillery is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania making him the first and only black distiller in the state.

"When people hear that they're like, 'wait a minute, that can't be true; you're telling me we only have one black owned distillery?!'" says Fletcher.