Traverse City Whiskey Co. sits right in downtown Traverse City at their Stillhouse location on East Fourteenth Street, bringing craft whiskey production to Michigan’s cherry capital. Founded by Chris Fredrickson, Moti Goldring, and Jared Rapp in 2012, the distillery emerged from a friendship forged over shared appreciation for quality spirits and a vision to create something distinctly Northern Michigan. The trio converted a former automotive repair facility into a working distillery and tasting room, complete with custom copper stills and a intimate bar space that feels more like hanging out in someone’s well-appointed garage than a typical tourist destination. Fredrickson brings decades of entrepreneurial experience to the operation, while the team’s collective background spans business development and hospitality. They didn’t just want to make whiskey—they wanted to create spirits that reflected the character of Northern Michigan, using local grains when possible and developing flavor profiles that complement the region’s culinary scene. The distillery launched with bourbon and rye, but they’ve expanded their lineup to include unique offerings like their Cherry Bourbon, which incorporates Traverse City’s famous tart cherries in the aging process. The Stillhouse operation runs at a scale that lets you actually watch whiskey being made during your visit. You’ll see their copper pot stills in action, smell the mash fermenting, and get a real sense of the grain-to-glass process. The tasting room doubles as a cocktail bar, so you can sample their spirits neat or in carefully crafted cocktails that highlight what makes each expression unique. It’s the kind of place where the person pouring your drinks might also be the one who distilled them.