On my latest trip to Green Bay (GO PACK GO), I made an executive decision to stay one additional night on the way back in Michigan. Part of me did this because my 2-year-old needed a break from the car, but the other part of me did this so I could stop by Journeyman Distilling.

If you haven’t heard of Journeyman Distilling, they are worth a search. I had a few of their whiskies a few years back and really fell in love with the Corsets, Whips, and Whiskey – A really interesting wheat whiskey and one of the first I tried. The distillery itself is in this really small town in Michigan called Three Oaks. I’m pretty sure it had one stoplight and the cell service was horrible (not that it matters, but don’t go planning on getting a lot of stuff done on a computer).

The Experience

We arrived on a Monday afternoon after driving for 5+ hours. I really needed to get out of the car to stretch my legs and this seems like a perfect spot to do it. I was worried the place wasn’t open as we pulled up because there were very few cars in the parking lot. After checking Google Maps, I decided it was open and we gave it a try.

Walking in, the place is beautiful.

And it makes me laugh a bit that they describe their success like this:

We feel that E.K. Warren, the original builder of the factory—while being a staunch prohibitionist—would be proud to see his building shining bright.

Journeyman Distilling

You see the stills right as you walk in and you have a birds eye view of the distilling process. There is a sign that will tell you what is being distilled today. I didn’t take the tour, but I would imagine it would focus on the handcrafted nature of everything they do. I caught that feel throughout the place and the website. They are artisan distillers and take pride in what they use to make their spirits.

Then you walk through a small merchandise and spirit shop that is loaded with some goodies. After that, you see the massive bar and the seating for the restaurant. Again – Everything is beautiful and it feels like it has been pulled out of a Mumford and Sons album.

The Drinks

This place is a distillery, but it also doubles as a cocktail bar. And they have a pretty extensive menu of drinks. Since I was going to the distillery, I wanted to make sure to try as many spirits as possible. I’m also a cask strength kind of guy, so I landed with the Cask Strength Whiskey Flight. My wife ended up with some vodka drink and one of the other people at the table had the Old Fashioned.

Overall – I wasn’t disappointed with my flight. I had some really good spirits on it. The Featherbone Bourbon was my favorite, but I also really liked the other ones on the flight as well.

My wife didn’t love her drink, but she is picky when cocktails. I think she would have been better served ordering a pre-arranged cocktail instead of making her own.

And the old fashioned was good. I only had a sip, but I think I would lean towards trying one the next time.

And if a bunch of you want to go in for the $2,000 cocktail, I’m in for a share. I think we need 100 people at $20 a pop.

The Food

This was our lunch spot and we decided to get a few appetizers to spilt (4 adults, 1 child). In taking a look at the menu, we thought most things were a bit pricey, so the appetizers were a nice way to test the food before we spent $20 a meal on something. Also two of the adults (plus the child) are a little picky when it comes to food that isn’t “normal,” so we didn’t want to push it to start.

So we ordered the house-made pub pretzel, the pork rinds, and the brussel sprouts (you can see the full menu here – it seems to be a little different than when we were there).

I wasn’t blown away.

Don’t get me wrong, the food had some good flavor, but it wasn’t knock my socks off amazing. We ended up finishing the appetizers and headed to our hotel to order in dinner. I think there might be some good food on the menu, but I wasn’t impressed enough to risk $20 a meal to find out. If it would have just been me and my wife, I imagine we would have dropped two apps and split a meal.

If I have to give a suggestion, I would say go with the pretzel and cheese. That cheese was tasty.

The Putting Green

Yeah – I wasn’t expecting to write about a putting green when I started a bourbon blog, but here I am. Rocking it. And my wife rocked it out on the green while we were at Journeyman.

When you walk into the building, you will notice they have some putters lined up by the check-in stand. So I asked if we could take my little guy out to play around on the putt putt course. Little to my knowledge, this thing was an attraction on its on merits. The putting green is called Welter’s Folly and it’s a whopping 30,000 square feet of putting green. It is MASSIVE. According to their website, it is believed to be one of the 10 largest putting greens not associated with a golf course. I don’t know about all of that, but I do know that you need to stop and see it if you go to the distillery (plus you can take your cocktails out back.

Lodging

We did not personally stay in the lodging, so I can’t comment on it, but I wanted to make sure you were aware that there was lodging available.

It seems like a nice getaway if you want to stay up in Michigan for a night.

You can find out more information here: https://www.journeyman.com/lodging/

Conclusion

Overall, I was happy that we stopped. The food wasn’t amazing, but the venue was really nice.

Would I drive 3 hours to go on a typical day? Probably not.

Would I stop if we were in the area? Heck yes. And I would try something new on the menu and a cocktail. I would also try to get a tour scheduled.

I think the perfect trip would be a warmer day in the fall where you could sit out by the putting green, enjoy a few cocktails, have dinner, and then stay the night. I think that would be the full experience and it’s something that I might do with the wife down the road.

Have you been to Journeyman Distillery? What are your thoughts?

It was a cold Friday afternoon and I decided it was time to explore something new. This led to a trip to Fortville, Indiana – To be honest, we were heading there for some Bone Marrow Fries and Foxy Old Fashioned’s from FoxGardin (one of my favorite restaurants in the world). On the way over to Fortville, I mentioned that the Moon Drops Distillery had just opened their tasting room, so I suggested we make a stop before heading for a late lunch.

My knowledge and connection to Moon Drops was limited. My wife and I saw the building a few months back and tried to stop in for a drink. It wasn’t open to the public at that time. So I followed them on Facebook and kept in the loop about their operations. From the occasional update, I knew the distillery was starting to distribute in the local area and there was a “cult” following for their lemon drop moonshine. So I went into the visit with an open mind and here is what I found:

The Tasting Room

Pulling into the parking lot, I could tell this was a large facility. I wasn’t 100% sure it was open, but it was also 2PM, but the door was unlocked and we walked up to the bar. I was greet quickly by a lady named Rachel (I cheated on the name by looking at the website) and she gave us the rundown on the menu and the distillery.

The tasting room was a little smaller than I expected from the outside, but it was nice and cozy. It was the blend of a tasting room, speak easy, and a view straight into the distilling process. As I was looking through the menu, I could see the still steaming and peppermint moonshine taking shape. You could tell this facility was a production first facility, but I’m always a fan of seeing the spirits being made right in front of me.

The tasting room could hold around 50 people (standing and sitting – maybe more) and it had a nice stage for some live music. As I was sitting there, I could see a beautiful outdoor venue that would be amazing in the warmer months. It was snowing, but I could imagine listening to a band with a cocktail on a hot July night.

Rachel was very nice and knowledgable about the products. As a bourbon guy myself, I could tell she knew her stuff. I saw a few other people stop by during our time there and they seemed to be treated nicely as well. I’m always a huge fan of a place that treats their customers well and makes sure your glass never runs empty.

The Bourbon (and other spirits)

During my visit, I ended up splitting two different flights with my friend. I wanted to try as much as I could and still be responsible at the same time.

One thing that was awesome – The flight came with snacks! I haven’t seen this before, so mad props here. It’s a lot of chocolate, but it’s good (I would have loved more pretzels).

I ended up trying the 7 different spirits (note – their bourbon is still aging, so it’s sourced at the moment – They have tried to match the mash bill as closely as possible – So I expect the taste profile to be similar, but better over the next 2-3 years):

1 – Black Label Bourbon – This was the one they sat on the black dot on the flight board and was pretty good. I could have drank this on the rocks, but I think this would be better served in a cocktail. It had some solid flavors of caramel, vanilla, and nuttiness. I would go back to try this again on the rocks, neat, or in a cocktail.

2 – Bourbon (Don’t remember the exact name) – This one was slightly different than the Black Label Bourbon, but you could tell they were similar in nature. If you paid me, I’m not 100% sure I could tell the difference between the two, but I wasn’t mad. I don’t think there was a ton of spice in either of these bourbons, but again tasty.

3 – Barrel Strength Bourbon – I knew this was going to be my favorite from the start and I wasn’t disappointed. It was hot (ABV wise), but that was to be expected. Once I got past the burn, I really tasted the oak, caramel, and vanilla. It was a flavor bomb. If this is a sign of their barrel strength products down the road, I want on the list to buy one of the first barrels. It’s going to be awesome.

4 – Vodka – I’m not a vodka guy, so take this review with a grain of salt. I wasn’t a fan of the vodka. I could see it in a mixed drink, but I’m not sure it should be tasted on a flight. I was told it was distilled 30+ times, so I imagine it might be good for those who like vodka. I’m just not a convert.

5 – Rum – I was expecting to not like the rum as well, but then I was given the story that it was made of 100% molasses and it was better than most other rums. So I gave it a shot. To my surprise, it was quite tasty with a little bit of a fruity finish. And like 0% burn. I don’t know the ABV, but someone could get in trouble drinking that rum in a cocktail. It would make a heck of a summer drink.

6 – Apple Pie Moonshine – If I was in the business of making bad choices, this one might be at the top of my list. I would get in trouble quickly drinking this. The ABV isn’t sky high with this, but it is as smooth as apple pie (pun intended). I am considering putting a bottle of this in my golf bag as some back up birdie juice.

7 – Lemon Drop Moonshine – Out of all of the spirits tasted, this is the one I bought a bottle of to take home to the wife. I can see why people enjoy this. It’s sweet, but not horribly sweet and the tartness of the lemon balances it out. My wife is going to take this and make martinis by adding vodka to it. The taste is killer and I think they have a winner here.

Overall Thoughts

I wasn’t here for a long time, but I’ll be back. I could tell this was a newer location and I think they have some good things lined up for the future. There are a few main things I took away:

1 – I think this is going to be “THE PLACE” to be in the summer. I think you are going to need to be there 3-4 hours early to make sure you get a seat once they have a great band playing in their outdoor space. Add that with the great rum, I think you will also want to make sure you have a ride home.

2 – I think the tasting room is going to be a little small once this place get popular. I would suggest coming early and getting a table if you are going to want to spend the evening there. There is seating, but it will fill up quickly.

3 – The spirits are good. I think there is room for improvement with the bourbon, but it’s hard to judge a distillery on their sourcing ability. I want to revisit this in 3 years when their bourbon hits the glass. In the meantime, I might stick with the rum or the barrel proof bourbon. Their moonshine kicks ass though. The stuff they make tastes good (non-vodka guy aside), so I think they know what they are doing.

4 – Food – I’m interested to see what happens here. They currently have food trucks at the location during the weekend, but I could see a kitchen happening sometime in the next 2 years. It’s that weird dynamic where you want to have some food and something elevated, but a food truck provides variety and ease. I’ll be interested to see how this plays out.

5 – Cocktails – I’ll be bring my wife back here to try some of the cocktails. I didn’t get a chance to try these and I think I’m going to be pleasantly surprised. The base (spirits) tasted solid, so I assume these will be solid as well.

And that’s my review of Moon Drops Distillery in Fortville, Indiana. I think there is a bright future ahead for this location. Thanks for the drinks and I look forward to visiting again.