This weekend, the Traverse City Whiskey Company (TC Whiskey) will mark a major milestone towards the completion of their new development in Elmwood Township. The company’s president, Chris Frederickson, said they recently finished erecting a 20,000-squarefoot warehouse at 9440 S. Center Highway.
TC Whiskey has already received a certificate of occupancy for the warehouse from Leelanau County. Frederickson said that it’s a tradition in Kentucky for distilleries to celebrate “barrel no. 1,” so the company plans to hold a small gathering this weekend where company staff and friends in the industry watch as they roll their first barrel into the warehouse.
While the completion of the warehouse marks a big step in that direction, Frederickson said that this distillery will likely not be open to the public by the end of the year as they had originally planned.
“This distillery is not on track for an October 2024 opening,” Frederickson said. “It’s been delayed due to the increased costs of construction. We’ve also been planning the distillery for a couple of years, and need to make some final, last-minute tweaks.”
Despite this, Frederickson said that TC Whiskey still plans to honor the original design and site plan that they submitted to the township planning commission two years ago. The distillery will be located at a former Cherry Growers co-op facility and will include a 70,000-square-foot whiskey production facility, tasting room, and visitor center, among other features.
Frederickson said that it “was important to us, during planning, to preserve the integrity of the existing facility.” The Cherry Growers Co-op was active in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties from 1939 until it filed for bankruptcy in 2017. The Center Highway location served as a receiving station for the Grawn-based co-op.
Some of this local history will be communicated through displays in the distillery’s museum area. Frederickson said that exhibits in this museum will also include artifacts about the history of distilling and TC Whiskey. The museum and production tours of the distillery will aim to provide context that enriches the experience for visitors.
The new TC Whiskey distillery’s visitors center will also include a bar for sampling their productions, an eating area where visitors can enjoy small plates made in an on-site kitchen, and a small retail area.
Since TC Whiskey’s site plan permit is set to expire in October before the distillery is “substantially” completed, they will need to re-apply for another site plan review through the township planning commission.
TC Whiskey is also currently engaged in talks with the planning commission regarding a zoning ordinance amendment that would reform alcohol regulations in the township. Planning/ zoning Administrator Sarah Clarren explained to the township board that this is intended to “fill a hole in the ordinance” by adding regulations on wineries, distilleries, and breweries to agriculture districts.
Frederickson previously requested that the township board postpone adoption of this ordinance because it could affect TC Whiskey’s Center Highway development. The item will be up for consideration again at the township board’s next regular meeting, which is scheduled for Aug. 12 at 6 p.m.
