Introduction

Welcome to Whiskey Lore's Whiskey Flights, your weekly home for discovering great craft distillery experiences around the globe. I’m your travel guide, Drew Hannush, best-selling author of Experiencing Irish Whiskey and Experiencing Kentucky Bourbon, and today, you are about to head out with me on a huge 3200 mile 10+ distillery journey around the Midwestern United States - I call it the Midwest Great Lakes Tour of 2024.

Arrival Phase

We’ll be in Michigan for 6 episodes, Wisconsin for at least 3, and Minnesota and Indiana for at least one each. And for the first time, rather than creating a path to the distillery out of my knowledge of travel and experiences in the area, I will be driving to each and every one of these distilleries and will be conducting onsite interviews with founders and distillers. 

And the truth is, this is really how I want to do this from now on. It’s hard to replace that true on-site experience and all the little travel warrior stories that happen along the way. I’ll still have to do online calls occasionally, especially with overseas experiences, but for the states, I’m going to attempt to do as much on-site as I can.

And this first day was not only a long drive, but one some would call crazy. The alarm went off in Greenville, SC at 4 AM, I was already packed, the grounds were already in the filter, I clicked on the brew button, took a very quick shower and hit the road. And I did everything I like to do to prepare for a trip. I took a week to keep setting things by the door so I wouldn’t forget anything. The night before I ordered a pizza so I’d have leftovers in the morning - and then I hit the road, fairly confident I had everything. Everything that is, but the pizza! Because it wasn’t sitting by the door I forgot it! But honestly, that was the only hitch in the plan. 

The morning drive went incredibly smooth. For me, getting through Asheville before traffic is really important. I did that, got to the Kentucky state line by 8 AM, posted a picture on Instagram and moved on. By noon, I was pulling into Edinburgh, Indiana, a low price gasoline oasis, to fill up my car at just a few minutes before noon. That’s when I saw my GPS suggesting that the freeway up toward Michigan City, Indiana was backed up in several spots, so I decided to drive up US 31 to South Bend, then I’d turn left and follow the state line to my destination the Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, where I had a 6 PM tour booked, and the founders Bill and Johanna Welter were waiting to be interviewed by me at 5 PM. 

Well, I was getting in early enough, I decided to head to New Buffalo, Michigan, right off I-94, where my hotel was. I checked in, took a quick power nap, and went back to the parking lot to get in my car. It was there that I saw a man pacing outside. We said hello. And somehow a chat evolved. He asked me why I was traveling in Michigan. “I’m visiting distilleries” all across the state. “Oh marijana,” he said. I think he thought I said dispensaries. Suddenly I realized, this was an area pretty thick in dispensaries. He gave me some friendly advice, “don’t drink and drive.” I don’t know, coming from someone who clearly was a fan of smoking pot, I almost took it as a - “you should be smoking, not drinking” kinda comment. Fine for you, not really my thing. I wanted to say, I wouldn’t be drinking enough to worry about it, but I needed to get onto the distillery.

Area Profile

Now, I was born in Michigan and spent my first 10 years in the state, but oddly, I’d never really been through Western Michigan, other than a quick pass through to Chicago on I-94, so I thought this was going to be all new to me. Well, the Casino I passed definitely wasn’t something I would have seen in Michigan as a kid. And I’d never really thought of Lake Michigan as a place for beaches, but it totally makes sense. What got me was the familiarity of town of Three Oaks. I felt like I’d been here before. It’s a one stop light town, but it so reminds me of Brighton, the little town (which is now a big town) in eastern Michigan. Just something about the feel of the place. Part of it was crossing over railroad tracks. The train tracks were a heavy memory for me, especially since my mother used to sell crafts from a permanently placed caboose right at the railroad in Brighton. 

Distillery Arrival

I did almost miss the sign to get into the distillery. It’s a dark sign with a lot of other dark signs against a dark background. But when I looked to the left, I couldn’t mistake the distillery. The word Journeyman written across the long gray building. 

When I arrived, I took a couple of pictures, then stepped inside into the gift shop area. In front of me were the stills, hidden behind the bottles and t-shirts, and to the left, a long bar and a restaurant. When I met Bill and Johanna, they suggested the back offices as a place for us to chat. Among the workstations and plenty of work product, we got comfortable and started our chat.

Interview

Closing Details

I hope you enjoyed this virtual flight to the Journeyman Distillery. If I piqued your interest in traveling to the distillery, make sure to head to whiskey-lore.com/flights where you can view the profile of Journeyman Distillery and the growing list of worldwide distilleries we're featuring on the show. Then, dig deeper into the Whiskey Lore online distillery travel guide, use the heart feature to show your interest in the distillery, or log in with a free membership and bookmark your favorite distilleries to add them to your wish list. The site features planning tools, maps, tour dates, and booking links for over 300 distilleries worldwide. Start your journey at whiskey-lore.com/flights.

Teaser

Because of the extra long interview this week, we’re going to take a break from The Week in Whiskey Lore - look for it next week as we drive north about 3 ½ hours to a distillery down a dirt road in Northern Michigan, not far from Traverse City.

Closing and My Five Reasons

As we close out our trip to the Journeyman Distillery, if you’re on the fence about visiting, let me give you my three reasons why you should have this distillery on your Whiskey Lore Wish List.

First of all, if you’re looking for small town atmosphere and a really wonderful dining experience, mixed with a tour and tasting, this is the place to do it. Heck, you can even stay the night if you like. While I was there Bill and Johanna provided me with a wonderful meal including a Detroit meets Italy, Detroit Style Pizza, a crazy good smoked trout spread as a starter, and a flight of five whiskies, including their Not a King rye, which was a personal favorite.

Second, you’d almost never believe this was once a factory. It is absolutely beautiful inside and there is plenty of room here to hold weddings, corporate events, and other events.

Third, I know they said putting green, but I was thinking something kind of Myrtle Beach cheesy. Nope, feels natural and looks like a great spot for the family to unwind after a fun day at the beach or a view of the distillery.

I hope you enjoyed today’s episode. My next stop will require about a 3 ½ hour drive up through the states, along the west coast. And the distillery we’ll be visiting is considered Michigan’s first farm distillery (at least post-Prohibtion at least anyway). The Midwest Great Lakes Tour heads down a dirt road, just southeast of Traverse City. Make sure to subscribe to the Whiskey Lore podcast, so you don’t miss any of the great Whiskey Flights to come. I'm your travel guide, Drew Hannush. Until we meet again, cheers and Sláinte mhath.

Closing Acknowledgements

For transcripts and travel information, including maps, distillery planning information, and more, head to whiskey-lore.com/flights. Whiskey Lore is a production of Travel Fuels Life, LLC.