Traverse City Whiskey Co. Breaks Ground on Large Production Facility Up North

Traverse City Whiskey Co. (TCWC), which produces a portfolio of premium whiskeys and bourbon, has broken ground on the future site of its new whiskey production facility in Traverse City.

The company’s growth has exceeded its current distilling capacity, which resulted in a portion of its annual production being outsourced to out-of-state partners.

To maintain state production, the first-of-its-kind distilling campus will enhance the company’s current production facilities and tasting rooms located at 201 E. 14th St. in downtown Traverse City and at The Outpost at 22812 Woodward Ave. (just north of Nine Mile Road) in downtown Ferndale.

Set on 35 acres of land in the countryside, the new whiskey production facility in Traverse City will accommodate every step in the whiskey production process — mashing, fermentation, and distillation — allowing the company to significantly increase production of its award-winning portfolio of premium whiskeys and bourbon to as many as 24,000 barrels of whiskey each year.

Part of the property will be dedicated to growing grain to be used in the company’s various distillations. The facility also will help to meet increasing demand for TCWC’s portfolio of products, which includes its best-selling Premium Cocktail Cherries and Cocktail Crate craft mixers.

The 70,000-square-foot campus, which will be built in partnership with Mathison Architects and Erhardt Construction, will feature a state-of-the-art traditional rack house, dedicated processing and packaging spaces, administrative offices, a visitor center and tasting room, and indoor and outdoor hospitality spaces.

The new facility will create approximately 100 new jobs for the surrounding community and afford TCWC the ability to support other Michigan distillers in need of capacity for their own growing brands.

The 100 percent family-owned craft whiskey company produces straight bourbon and its signature cherry whiskey which have become top selling craft whiskeys statewide and across the U.S. The team draws upon its early family roots in the distilled spirits industry dating back to the late 1800’s, sourcing all their grains — corn, rye and malted barley — from the Midwest.

The distilling team, led by Chris Fredrickson, Jared Rapp, and Moti Goldring, makes an award-winning portfolio of quality products, inspired by patented distilling techniques invented by Fredrickson’s great grandfather that were approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during the prohibition era.

In 2018, TCWC introduced its Premium Cocktail Cherries which have grown to be the leading premium cocktail cherry nationally, sold in all 50 states. In 2019, TCWC acquired Cocktail Crate premium craft mixers and opened its first tasting room in metro Detroit, The Outpost, in Ferndale at Woodward Avenue and Nine Mile Road.

“We’re thrilled to break ground on this incredible new facility which will allow us to expand operations and exclusively produce our award-winning whiskey right here in our hometown of Traverse City,” says Chris Fredrickson, co-founder and president, TCWC.

“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. It will provide numerous jobs and attract new and returning visitors to our beautiful region. We can’t wait to welcome our friends into our new home.”

TCWC products are available via the brand’s website and at on- and off-premises establishments in more than 30 U.S. States.

For more information, visit tcwhiskey.com.