TCWC to open Michigan’s ‘largest’ distillery

Bourbon producer Traverse City Whiskey Co (TCWC) has revealed plans to open the ‘largest’ distillery in the US state of Michigan next year.

TCWC, which makes a range of super-premium whiskeys and a cherry-infused Bourbon, has broken ground on a 70,000-square-foot production facility.

The new site will be based at 201 E 14^th Street in downtown Traverse City, Michigan.

The family-owned company said ‘rapid growth’ for its American whiskeys meant it had exceeded its current distilling capacity. As such, a small portion of its liquid has been produced by a third party outside of the state.

The distillery project will allow TCWC to produce 24,000 barrels of whiskey annually.

The new site will include end-to-end production, with mashing, fermentation and distillation capabilities.

TCWC sources all its grains (corn, rye and malted barley) from the Midwest. The new site will feature an area dedicated to growing grain.

The facility will include a traditional rack house, processing and packaging spaces, administrative offices, a visitor centre and tasting room, and indoor and outdoor hospitality spaces.

Chris Fredrickson, co-founder and president, TCWC, said: “Our new headquarters will be an all-encompassing campus that will provide a unique immersion in whiskey culture and industry and will add a new experience to the thriving Northern Michigan agritourism industry.”

The project is expected to create around 100 new jobs. It will also have the ability to support local distillers in need of capacity.

In 2018, TCWC introduced Premium Cocktail Cherries, which has become the leading premium cocktail cherry brand in the US, according to the company.

A year later, the Bourbon producer acquired alcohol-free cocktail mixer brand Cocktail Crate and opened its first tasting room in the Detroit Metropolitan area of Michigan.

In 2021, Michigan, Nebraska and Vermont passed bills to reduce the state excise tax on spirit-based RTDs.