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                      Grand Traverse Distillery Review and Tour

                      Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Grand Traverse Distillery Front
                      Tasting Bar -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Tasting Bar
                      Tasting Bar - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Tasting Bar
                      Grain Mill -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Grain Mill
                      Mash Tun (Cooker)  - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Mash Tun (Cooker)
                      Fermenters -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Fermenters
                      1200 Liter Still - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      1200 Liter Still
                      2500 Liter Still - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      2500 Liter Still
                      Inside the 1200 Liter Still -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Inside the 1200 Liter Still
                      Stillage (Spent Grain) Drier - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Stillage (Spent Grain) Drier
                      Barrel Warehouse - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Barrel Warehouse
                      Large Fan for Air Circulation in Warehouse - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Large Fan for Air Circulation in Warehouse
                      Bottling Line - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Bottling Line
                      Dried Stillage - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Dried Stillage
                      Sign - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Sign
                      Barrel -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Barrel
                      Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Tasting Bar -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Tasting Bar - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Grain Mill -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Mash Tun (Cooker)  - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Fermenters -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      1200 Liter Still - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      2500 Liter Still - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Inside the 1200 Liter Still -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Stillage (Spent Grain) Drier - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Barrel Warehouse - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Large Fan for Air Circulation in Warehouse - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Bottling Line - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Dried Stillage - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Sign - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Barrel -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Grand Traverse Distillery Front
                      Tasting Bar -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Tasting Bar
                      Tasting Bar - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Tasting Bar
                      Grain Mill -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Grain Mill
                      Mash Tun (Cooker)  - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Mash Tun (Cooker)
                      Fermenters -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Fermenters
                      1200 Liter Still - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      1200 Liter Still
                      2500 Liter Still - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      2500 Liter Still
                      Inside the 1200 Liter Still -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Inside the 1200 Liter Still
                      Stillage (Spent Grain) Drier - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Stillage (Spent Grain) Drier
                      Barrel Warehouse - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Barrel Warehouse
                      Large Fan for Air Circulation in Warehouse - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Large Fan for Air Circulation in Warehouse
                      Bottling Line - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Bottling Line
                      Dried Stillage - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Dried Stillage
                      Sign - Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Sign
                      Barrel -Grand Traverse Distillery Review Tour
                      Barrel

                      781 Industrial Circle, Suite 5
                      Traverse City, MI 49686
                      231.947.8635
                      External link opens in new tab or windowCheck out our short Grand Traverse Distillery Tour Video


                      Grand Traverse Distillery is located in a small industrial park in Traverse City, MI a few miles from downtown. Their footprint occupies two buildings, and is fairly utilitarian. There is also a small gift shop and tasting bar on site.  Tours of the distillery are offered daily except Sunday and reservations are available online. Tasting rooms are also located in downtown Traverse City and 3 other locations throughout northern and central Michigan.

                      Our visit started in the gift shop at the tasting bar, which is always a great place to begin. There was quite the selection of spirits to sample, so I thought it best to just jump right in. I began with a few bourbons and ryes and after several tastes, we met our tour guide. It was our lucky day because he was none other than the founder and owner, Kent Rabish. Kent previously had had a long successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, but in 2005 he decided to change course and open Grand Traverse Distillery. Production began in 2007 with their True North Rye Vodka, their first product to be released. They also laid down several barrels of bourbon and rye. This early start made Grand Traverse the first craft distillery in Northern Michigan, and amongst the older craft distilleries in the U.S.
                       
                      Grand Traverse began as a one man operation. Kent not only handled all duties himself at the distillery, he continued to work his full time pharmaceutical job. After 6 months of double duty he realized this was not sustainable. Relief came when his neighbor joined him in the distillery. Kent eventually retired from the pharmaceutical industry making the distillery his full time passion. Today, he has stepped back a bit further. His son, Landis, has taken the reins as master distiller and he now has a team of 4 people to manage the production process. In total, the company now has 45 employees, with the vast majority working in the various retail locations.



                      Once inside the distillery we began learning more about their process. Grand Traverse is a true grain to glass distillery. From the very beginning, they have always distilled their own spirits (except the cherry whiskey).  Grains are locally sourced, except for the peated barley which comes from Scotland. The wheat, rye and corn come from local External link opens in new tab or windowSend Brothers Farm, while the malted barley is from External link opens in new tab or windowGreat Lakes Malting Co. also located in Traverse City. Grains are ground on site in a small roller mill and then are transferred via an overhead pipe to the 2400 liter mashtun. Grand Traverse uses the sweet mash process, meaning a completely new mash is made for each fermentation. This differs from the sour mash process where some of the stillage from a prior distillation is added to a batch of fresh mash prior to fermentation. Once the mash is complete, it is moved to one of the five 2400 liter fermenters. Fermentation generally last 7 days. Then the "distiller's beer" moves on to the stills.

                      The first still Kent chose was a 1200 liter hybrid still from Arnold Holstein. It is used primarily to make clear spirits (vodka and gin) today. The second still is a 2500 liter Arnold Holstein hybrid still used primarily for whiskey and rum. It also serves as a stripping still for the clear spirits. As with most distilleries, the stillage (the spent grains after distillation) is sent to farmers and used as animal feed. What’s interesting about this particular farm is that it is the dairy farm which produces the milk used in External link opens in new tab or windowMoomer’s ice cream, a local favorite. The spent grains are dried prior to pickup. A homemade apparatus designed just for this task sits smack dab in the middle of the distilling area.

                      After barreling, the whiskey ages on-site in a large insulated aluminum warehouse just across the parking lot from the distillery. The warehouse is also heated as the Rabishes believe in heat fluctuating their warehouses. This certainly makes sense given how long and cold the northern Michigan winters are, but they also add some heat during summer. Gotta keep that whiskey moving in and out of the wood! Some barrels are stored in the traditional manner, on their side in ricks, but they are currently switching to palletized storage. This method has the barrels stored on pallets standing on their ends for a more efficient use of space. To provide adequate air circulation, there is a giant fan on the ceiling. When it’s time to bottle, it is all done by hand using a 6 spout bottle filler. Afterwards, labels are applied by hand as well.

                      After our tour, we thanked Kent for his time and headed back to the tasting area to finish where we had begun. In addition to bourbon and rye, Grand Traverse also makes a cherry whiskey, rums which are distilled from molasses, as well as a variety of vodkas and gins. The list is long, so I’ll just provide the External link opens in new tab or windowlink to their spirits list.
                       
                      The focus at Grand Traverse Distillery is on crafting high quality products from grain to glass. Kent and company take great pride in creating each product from start to finish.  By methodically managing each step, from grain, to cook, to distillation, and of course aging, their extra effort is certainly evident in the quality of their spirits. If you find yourself up in the Traverse City area, be sure to check them out. You’ll be glad that you did!


                      External link opens in new tab or windowCheck out our short Grand Traverse Distillery Tour Video


                       

                       Please note that due to COVID Distillery Hours and Tour/Tasting Availability may vary. Please contact the distillery or check their web page or social media for details before you go.



                      Days of operation

                      Distillery:

                      Mon-Fri: 11am-4pm

                      Sat: 12pm-4pm


                      Tasting Rooms: Vary by location

                      Paved Drive / Lot

                      Yes

                      Motorcycle Parking

                      No separate parking, just the paved lot

                      -Motorcycle unfriendly features

                      No

                      Number of tours per day

                      M-Th: 1pm

                      Fri & Sat: 1pm, 3pm

                      Length of Tour(s)

                      45 min - 1 hour including tasting

                      Advanced topic tours?

                      No

                      Advanced topic tour names

                      N/A

                      Tours by owners /distillers available?

                      Yes

                      Number of different types of tours

                      1

                      On-Line Tour Reservations Available

                      Yes

                      Advanced Reservations Recommended/Required

                      Yes, since only 1-2 tours per day

                      Cost for tour(s) in $

                      $10

                      Tasting Included?

                      Yes

                      Number of samples included in tasting

                      Whatever you want

                      Tasting Only Option?

                      Yes

                      Tasting Only Option Cost

                      ?

                      High-end tasting option?

                      N/A

                      High-end tasting option cost?

                      N/A

                      Designated Driver Option

                      No

                      Handicapped Accessible?

                      For the most part

                      Souvenirs included with tour?Yes; the tasting glass

                      Gift shop

                      Yes

                      On-Site bottle sales?

                      Yes

                      On-site food: Restaurant/Cafe/Snacks

                      No

                      On-site Cocktail bar

                      Some mixed drinks available at the tasting bar

                      On-site event space

                      No

                      Should I visit? (Yes, Perhaps, No)

                      Yes

                      Unique Features

                      Nice relatively small scale grain to glass distillery 

                      Website

                      External link opens in new tab or windowhttps://www.grandtraversedistillery.com

                      Date Visited

                      August 2021

                       

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