Traverse City Whiskey Co. Sinking $20 Million Into Local Expansion

Traverse City Whiskey Co. out of Michigan is making a large step in growing their whiskey making operations, sinking around $20 million in a large planned expansion in their namesake city.

Traverse City Whiskey Co., it was said, has acquired the abandoned Cherry Growers Co-Op cherry processing facility in Traverse City, Michigan, after finding its rapid growth had exceeded its current distilling capacity, which has resulted in a portion of its annual production to be outsourced to out-of-state partners.  The distillery, which began operating in 2012 in downtown Traverse City, operates the Stillhouse tasting room that has become a popular destination for tens of thousands of area residents and visitors each year. In 2019 it also opened its first tasting room in Metro Detroit: The Outpost in Ferndale.

At the new planned location it is said it will “accommodate every step in the production process and meet increasing demand for its products” and that “it will also allow TCWC to offer support to other craft whiskey distillers that are in need of capacity for their own growing brands.” What’s to be build here will include “a state-of-the-art traditional rackhouse, dedicated processing and packaging spaces, administrative offices and a visitor center and tasting room, as well as spectacular indoor and outdoor hospitality spaces.”

“We’re thrilled to break ground on this incredible new facility and are grateful to the State of Michigan for investing in our future which will allow us to expand operations and exclusively produce our award-winning whiskey right here in our hometown of Traverse City,” said Chris Fredrickson, Co-Founder and President, TCWC,” in a prepared statement. “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.”