We really enjoyed our stop at the Grand Traverse Distillery Tasting Room. Nice that we could easily pop in while wandering around the downtown area. And the downtown area can be kind of *extra* so we really appreciated the chill vibe here. Love that the bar is prominent and doesn't feel like an afterthought to the tasting table set up. We had a couple of barrel-aged bourbon old fashioneds. Sweeter than I would have sought out, but nice. Excellent bartenders. I look forward to returning and exploring more of their spirits. read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Chill afternoon vibes at the bar. - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Our two bartenders were very friendly and knowledgeable about the spirits as well as the history of the company. We had the bomb pop, bourbon Manhattan, strawberry smash, and pina colada. The pina colada was the best of the slushies. The bourbon was smooth. The manhattan was exactly what you want in a drink! They tried to change my mind on the gin. I am not a gin drinker but their gin didn't have the intense "Christmas tree" flavor if you're into that. I'll stick to bourbon read more

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Worth a stop if you are in the downtown area. A cozy spot with comfortable seating and a bar. The tasting was a great way to experience the liquors the distillery offers. Our bartender was super informative and helped us choose a good variety to try. We tried rye whiskey options, vodka and gin and all were delicious! After the tasting we sat at the bar to try a couple of cocktails. We recommend the manhattan with the rye whiskey and the dirty martini with their gin! If we were not flying home we would have bought a few bottles! Hopefully they will be distributing to other states soon. read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Tasting options we chose to try - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Great drinks and bartenders. Nice place to sit back and relax. Plenty of seating space with some couches. read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Barrel aged old fashion - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Our bartender was very knowledgeable and super friendly. We practically had our own private tasting and enjoyed all four of the samples. Took home a bottle too. Well worth it if you like spirits and wine. read more

We stopped in the Grand Traverse Distillery tasting room downtown. We enjoyed tasting their wide variety of spirits including the new Potato Vodka. We have visited before ,but Harrison, who served our tasting was fun and knowledgeable making it the best visit so far. They have a family friendly area in the back so the kids were able to play. read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Barrel Aged Manhattan - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Delicious drinks and friendly bartenders. The pours are generous in the creative mixed drinks. The cherry sour was amazing. I can't remember the proper drink names we had but look at those pics! Yum! read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Eh, underwhelming taste. Staff are very knowledgeable and very detailed while explaining tastings. Passionate is the best way to describe staff. This is what sticks out to me when asked about this place. read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Spirits flight/shot - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Wanted to check this place out just walking around downtown. Was a fun place. Offered spirit tastings on one side: whiskey, vodka, rums. Mixed drinks were made at the bar on the other side. Got a White Russian, which was super strong but they were more than willing to help by adding some more half and half. The peanut butter martini was heavenly for the first few sips with the liquid part but then there was a grainy mushy liquid that settled to the bottom making the last 1/3 of the drink not very pleasant. Overall fun place to check out. The cherry vodka was good and mixed well with lemonade! read more

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Harrison--my guy. Appreciated the tour and his sample recommendations. All hits. And he made me laugh.

Awesome tour and the coco bean vodka is fantastic. It was really interesting to see the white oak barrels and how the spirits are made. Great visit with Excellent tastings. The chipotle vodka with their Bloody Mary mix is outstanding. read more

Surprisingly spacious, welcoming whiskey bar. Delicious cocktails. Bartender knowledgeable in the menu and made excellent recommendations for hot and cold beverages. Must pop in for a nip read more

Ugh, I had such high hopes. I'd been wanting to try Grand Traverse Distillery the last several times we've been to TC. We finally made it and I am so sorry to say that it was a little disappointing. We arrived about an hour prior to close on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. They were pretty busy and from what we could see there was only one bartender. It took approximately 15 minutes to get the bartenders attention. He said he'd be right with us, then we were approached by another bartender we hadn't seen before. We each ordered a flight. Overall all the samples were fine but the only one that really stood out was the chipotle vodka. It was delicious! It had a smokey and spicy flavor that was so unique. We each wanted a cocktail from their unique specialty cocktail menu, but again it took almost another 15 minutes to get the bartender's attention. At this point it was 10 minutes to close and it was pretty clear they did not want to serve us because they wanted to leave. Had they taken our order instead of focusing on cleaning up and settling out the till, we would not be imposing. I asked if we could have a quick cocktail and we would take our check so they could close up. The bartender said our drinks "Weren't quick, but I'll make them anyway", but to keep in mind they close in 10 minutes. The Bloody Mary with the chipotle vodka was by far one of the best I've ever had. It included McClures Bloody Mary mix and a McClures pickle! I LOVE supporting Michigan made products. I want to go back tomorrow for another! He had a bourbon mule and it really needed stronger ginger beer to compliment the bourbon. It was almost as if they used ginger ale instead. The only reason I gave 4 stars was because of the Bloody Mary. The service was barely fine and the atmosphere left a lot to be desired. read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

We started our weekend getaway experience here this past April. I was surprised to see that this and a local bar were the only places open past 8 or 9pm, but stumbled upon this gem and were so pleased! They offer wine and spirit tasting, and deals if you purchase any bottles. We enjoyed tasting local spirits, and ended up taking home a bottle of bourbon we are saving for special occasions. The service is phenomenal. There was another couple visiting and tasting the samples, and the young lady helping us was incredibly knowledgeable of all the hot spots to try. We mentioned wanting to find a place open for late night activities, and got a few great tips to try that weekend as well as creating a bucket list for next time. Thank you for introducing us to a great weekend in TC. read more

Awesome place with great cocktails and a really fun tasting bar. The entire experience was made better by our server Roland. He ran us through a tasting and we ended up liking the cherry vodka, the chipotle vodka and the gin. We took four bottles home, three for gifts and one for us ;) Great experience, will definitely be coming back next time we are in town! read more

The worst experience I've ever had. Poor service, obvious over serving to the point of obnoxiousness.

Awesome experience and not too expensive for tasting. I had a cocktail while my fiance sampled whiskeys. It was very fun and inviting.

We came in on a weekday, and we had a really great bartender who recommended what to sample. The tastings were free when buying a bottle. We tried the different vodkas (cherry, cocoa, chipotle). They were all really good, but what sold us was the chipotle vodka. It had a spicy kick which was awesome in a Bloody Mary. Overall an awesome spot, will be back to try the cocktails! read more

Customer service was poor. Staff are on their phones and we didn't even get a smile. There was no interaction between us and the service. I felt like I was an inconvenience. There were very few people in the establishment, and I wasn't surprised. The dust was heavy and the lights above us and I was shocked that staff felt they had the time be scrolling their phones. The drinks were good, but the service was poor. I prefer good service. read more

Really nice atmosphere with even better whisky. Thank you to Harrison for a nice tasting experience. Worth your time... go visit!

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We had a small group, very intimate. Wide variety of spirits. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Gins! Our tour guide was such a wealth of knowledge and very friendly. I highly recommend touring this distillery. One small issue, we could not find the building. It's tucked away with a very small sign. read more

Cool place - you get a flight of 3 tastes for $5. Fun stop to add to your wine tasting tours! read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Flight! - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

I'm a big fan of visiting local distilleries. It's a hobby, and I'm always pleasantly surprised to find a distillery in the middle of a bustling town, instead of in random industrial areas in the middle of nowhere. Grand Traverse Distilling is nestled among the other shops along the main thoroughfare of Traverse City. It's a good sized place, with plenty of options for every liquor connoisseur. My sister and I got a flight and dove in. The bartender was very knowledgeable on the process of making the various liquors, and gives a little speech as she pours out a small amount of liquor. Not a big splash, but that's what a tasting is - just a taste. Fun perk is the glass that comes with the tasting. Instead of taking your gross, sticky glass home with you, they give you a brand new one in a little keepsake box! I wish we had more time to spend here and get a proper drink. I will be back, the next time my travels find me in Traverse City. read more

Great cocktails! Bartenders were great, as they have been the last 4 times we've visited. Very friendly staff. We had a small issue that Kent took care of, so we're very happy! read more

We stopped in here on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to check out the place and have a cocktail. The inside is large and spacious with two bars and plenty of seating. It was rather busy which is to be expected on a beautiful fall weekend. Somehow though there was only one poor guy working. He was slammed! I felt really bad for him but he did the best he could to keep up. Our whole group loved our drinks which ranged from the season special to a Manhattan and old fashioned. All the drinks were well executed, strong and flavorful. Several of us purchased bottles to take home or give as gifts. I'd recommend the cherry vodka if you're a fan, it was yummy! read more

Good drinks. Bar staff (the guy and the woman) had a crap attitude. Either they're angry at their manager or hate their job. Won't be back if you like good service don't come here. Good idea if you're looking to pay minimal tips tho lol. read more

My husband and I stopped in on a Saturday night for a tasting when we were in town. The alcohol was great, but the presentation was less than impressive (menus, paper cups for water, etc.). We didn't end up buying anything, but paid the $5 for the 4 little tastings. read more

This is the second time my wife and I have been here and both times were fantastic! The bartenders were great, very friendly, and informative. Above all the spirits were delicious and I definitely recommend coming here if you like local liquors. read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - the bar area - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Harrison was great during the tastings!! He walked us through with a thorough review and explanation of each liquor. Would definitely do it again! Thank you! read more

Grand Traverse Distillery now has several tasting rooms open to sample their different spirit offerings. We were exploring Traverse City on a lazy Tuesday and decided to stop in and check out their space. While we sat, the bartender talked about the space and it's nice to know they support the art community and offer the location as an event space. Wine and mead tasting are coming soon to the space. They offer 3 pours for $5, and it includes a small tasting glass so we each tried 3 items, plus one (listed at the end of my review). My better half tried the whiskeys they offer- we both liked the Islay Rye the best as it was very smooth. The cherry was a close second. I tried vodka and rum, which were all very good. We took two small bottles of Cherry Whiskey for friends and a bottle of the Cherry Vodka for ourselves. I love that they carry the smaller bottles which make great gifts! We also tried a cocktail- the Cherry Vodka Sour. Delicious. Can't wait to visit again soon! Ole George 100% Straight Rye 100% Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cherry Whiskey Islay Rye Whiskey True North Chocolate Vodka True North Cherry Vodka Silver Reserve Rum read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Stopped by for a flight to try locally made spirits. The bourbon-barrel aged gin was easily the best and most fantastic gin I've ever had. Complex, fascinating, but still very much gin. The dark rum was good, the Old George whiskey was very good. We also had the spinach artichoke dip, and were happy with it. read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

This is a true distillery. I really enjoyed taking the tour and seeing the process from start to finish. Be sure to take suggestions when you get to the tasting room. A special shout out to our tasting specialist, Laura. read more

After 6-7 delicious tastings (I believe they are 1/4 oz pours) we decided on Bloody Marys made with their Chipotle Infused Vodka. All I can say is, I'll have another... WOW, one of the best Bloodies I've ever had. The bartender was on her game, full of insightful information about each one of the spirits presented. Particularly liked the Barrel Finished Peninsula Gin (purchased a bottle), the Old George Rye and the Dark Reserve Rum. Terrific place to take a break (or escape) from shopping. Plan to leave with Old George and a Chipotle Vodka next time through. Cheers! read more

A few of us stopped in for happy hour last week, and the whole experience was a little uncomfy. The place was pretty empty, which should have been a sign. We sat at the bar and ordered a couple drinks. They were very weak and a little funky tasting. The cherry vodka had an artificial aftertaste. Our bartender was friendly but disappeared for about 20 minutes. We finally got the check and moved on to much better bars down the street. read more

Let me in on the secret. Some distilleries are start to finish. Use fresh local ingredients. Rye is Rye (not mixed with cheaper grains). Others buy the starter product from elsewhere and flavor it for a bit with wood or barrels. If you want the good stuff- this is it. They take the whole process seriously. read more

Bar none, the absolute worst drink I have ever had in my life. It is the only time I've ever not finished a drink, even if I didn't like it, and my wife says the same. The bartenders were polite, but setting two full drinks back on the bar and leaving should elicit more of a response than just "thanks." I wouldn't have gotten another drink there no matter what, but returning drinks like that should at least be met with a question of why. read more

Great product and amazing service that is both friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended. Shelby is outstanding!

GT Distillery is a great atmosphere for enjoying a drink after work. Very friendly staff, Hilary and Shelby definitely make me feel like a regular even though I've only been in a handful of times. read more

Stiff drinks for sure. Great place to dive in while shopping and grab an adult beverage! read more

Grand Traverse Distillery - Old Fashion's. Strong like ox! - Distilleries Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Peach Mead, Ghost Pepper Mead, Chocolate Vodka, Chipotle Vodka, Maple Whiskey, and Cherry Whiskey: all on my tasting list! Sadly, with the exception of the Peach, they all tasted the same!?!? At least I got a free glass and the cost was cheap! I see why...lol. read more