Detroit City Distillery sits in the heart of Detroit’s Eastern Market district on Riopelle Street, founded in 2013 by Michael Forsyth, a former automotive engineer who traded pistons for pot stills. Forsyth opened Detroit’s first distillery since Prohibition in a 6,000-square-foot former auto parts warehouse, complete with exposed brick walls and industrial bones that tell the city’s manufacturing story. The operation produces whiskey, gin, and vodka using locally-sourced grains when possible, with a 500-gallon copper pot still as the centerpiece of production. What started as one man’s passion project has grown into a neighborhood anchor, drawing visitors who want to taste spirits made in the Motor City while supporting Detroit’s ongoing renaissance. You’ll find this isn’t some glossy tourist operation—it’s a working distillery where Forsyth and his small team craft spirits in small batches, often visible through the production floor windows. The tasting room maintains that industrial Detroit aesthetic with concrete floors and steel fixtures, but the warmth comes from the people behind the bar who know every bottle’s story. Tours happen regularly and give you a genuine look at grain-to-glass production in a city that’s rebuilding one business at a time.