When you think of cider on the Leelanau Peninsula, numerous places comes to mind, including the largest distributor, Tandem Ciders in Suttons Bay.
The famed cidery announced the release of its first product in two years with a new “Peach Jam” hard peach cider with a slogan “a peachy buzz without the fuzz.”
The projects expected to be release date is May 14.
“I feel like peach is such a great flavor to work with and it really pairs well with us. It’s the peaches in there, but you can also tell it’s a cider to blend best of both worlds if you will,” co-owner Dan Young said.
Tandem Ciders have been focused on experimenting with several fruit flavors so far in 2025 including strawberry and peach.
This is the first new product since Clear Conscience, a clean and dry cider, released two years ago.
“We expect (“Peach Jam” to last until) end of July is our plan and then we’re hoping to be able to release our strawberry after. We’re going to try to get that into the cans as well,” Dan said.
Tandem Ciders, which has been making ciders with local fruit since 2008, is about to release it’s first seasonal canned cider. This small-batch cider will only be available for a short time at local stores.
“Peach Jam” is a blend of McIntosh cider and peach juice, co-fermented until semisweet. The resulting peach cider packs the wonderful aroma and flavor of peaches, along with the always delicious profile of Tandem’s apple ciders.
“People are out and about for sure. We’ve been seeing a lot of our regulars and locals are getting out ahead of the crowd if you will,” Young said.
In 2022, Tandem Ciders acquired a production facility in Elmwood Township that can produce upwards of 2,000 boxes (24x16oz cans). Tandem Cider’s new production gives legitimacy to its expansion desires in markets including Traverse City, Leelanau County, west Michigan, southeast Michigan, while breaking into the cider hungry Chicago, Illinois market.
“We’re starting to stretch in our new building. We know we’re just getting used to it and now we realize that we have a little more room. We have a little extra tank space, why not do something interesting for our fans,” Young said.
Tandem is one of the largest distributors and aluminum buyers in the county in terms the beverage industry. In terms of the future, Young feels optimistic.
“Our people have deep roots in this in this area for vacation and visiting, so I still think people are going to come up and maybe it won’t be spending as much as they used to, but I think things like spending a day at Tandem Cider is not really extra extravagant expense,” Young said. “I’m a little concerned, when we buy those cans, especially for our three big sellers, we buy a large amount. We’re still sitting on a good number of those candles, but I think at the end of the season, we’re gonna have to buy another round of Smackintosh cans and I’m a little concerned to where the prices are going to be then.”
