Grand Traverse Distillery

Tucked into a corner of the downtown market, my fiancé and I found a small Grand Traverse Distillery outpost. They serve a few cocktails, but I’m guessing their most popular item is the tasting flight. For $ 5, you get 3 different tastes (1 oz pours I believe), plus get to keep the tasting glass! I collect shot glasses wherever I travel, so souvenir glassware was right up my alley.
I tasted the cherry vodka and really enjoyed it. It had a fruity taste without being too artificial or sweet, and had a light hint of chocolate on the finish, very tasty. I could see using it in all sorts of martinis or spiked beverages. I just wish it had been colder, warm vodka is a killer no matter how delicious.
My fiancé took the other two tastes, and tried a couple of their signature whiskeys. He loves Old Fashioneds and sipping on bourbon and all kinds of Mad Men-​ish old school style drinks, and said the whiskeys here were really good. The young guy working that day was happy to explain to us all about their local products, and show us the various bottles of liquor and specialty craft cocktail items like homemade bitters, whiskey stones, and even a small wooden barrel tap replica to store your own liquor. We enjoyed our visit and would stop by again if we were in the area!

A big thanks to Grand Traverse Distillery for dropping some serious, and much-​needed knowledge on me when I visited for a gin and whiskey tasting recently. My limited experience with these spirits comes mainly from mixing up jungle juice in college. For those lucky enough to have never tasted this, it’s a potent, mystical-​like blend of whatever happens to be the cheapest stuff on the bottom shelf at the liquor store, mixed with frozen, canned fruit punch. Maybe a chopped up watermelon, raspberries, or 7-​up got dropped in if we were feeling fancy. As you can guess, this tasted like garbage and scared me away from trying the real thing for quite awhile.
The staff at Grand Traverse was patient with me during my tasting, offering up several different craft styles of their gin and whiskey along with their artisan rum and vodka. Along the way, the staff highlighted the time and attention that each receives in the distilling process as well as suggestions on how to make easy, adult-​appropriate cocktails at home (ie. nothing with kool-​aid). I took a home a bottle of their Barrel Finished Peninsula Gin, distilled, finished and bottled at their headquarters in Traverse City, MI. Now instead of jungle juice I can sip my Tom Collins, Gin Rickey’s, and Gimlet’s like a pro.
PS. They have a great little patio outside to sip in style!

Came here for a Unilocal tasting event and had a blast! My favorite by far was the rum, but the cherry vodka was descent too.
I tried gin for the first time here and found out that I don’t like gin. The friends who were with me said it was a really good quality, I’ll take their word for it.
In all, I really enjoyed sampling things that I wouldn’t normally try and if given the opportunity would probably come back again to try some mixed drinks.

Stopped in here on my walk through the Downtown Market today– and was SO happy I did!
Grand Traverse Distillery is a «micro-​distillery» out of Traverse City who produces craft whiskey, vodka, rum, gin, etc. with local ingredients. The gentleman attending the store today was incredibly friendly and eager to answer any questions about their product. A great introduction to the company.
For $ 5 you can get a whiskey glass and a (generous) sample of three of their liquors. Incredibly well valued and worth a stop in!
Found just across from Tacos el Cunado :)