Wise Men Distillery of Kentwood recently opened a new tasting room in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, at 146 Monroe Center NW in the McKay Tower.
The opening of the 700-square-foot tasting room last week features Wise Men Distillery’s award-winning spirits and its line of seltzers.
The new tasting room, which was announced in early 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opened in time for this year’s Festival of the Arts’ Plein Air.
“It’s been a long journey, but we are excited about opening our tasting room at the epicenter of the city’s entertainment district,” said Tom Borisch, who along with Jason Post and Zack Van Dyke founded and co-own Wise Men Distillery. “Although there have been challenges in the past year, opening just in time for the Festival and amidst a vibrant business culture in downtown Grand Rapids is a dream come true, it’s another important milestone in the phenomenal growth we have experienced in a relatively short time.”
Since opening in Kentwood in 2019, Wise Men Distillery has exploded onto the distilled spirits industry scene, capturing numerous awards for its ever-growing line of spirits. Most recently, the distillery won Best In Class with its vodka at the 2020 Craft Distillers Competition in Santa Rosa, California.
The upstart distillery also is garnering shelf space at national retailers like Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, Meijer and others.
“We couldn’t be more pleased about the continued increase in sales and interest by leading retailers across our entire product line,” Van Dyke said. “Customer demand at local retailers has been helping to push more exposure of the brand. “The downtown location is yet another way for us to continue to build the Wise Men Distillery brand and bring our distinct, locally distilled spirits to a much broader audience.”
Wise Men Distillery uses ingredients that are locally sourced when possible and include pure Lake Michigan water, tart apples from northern Michigan, corn from West Michigan farms and rich maple syrup tapped from Michigan’s maple trees.
“Our ability to use homegrown ingredients takes the old adage of ‘farm to table’ to a new level,” said Post, who is also Wise Men’s master distiller. “Michigan’s broad agricultural base allows us to constantly think outside the bottle and infuse flavors that our customers have really embraced.”
The downtown tasting room will be open Wednesday and Thursday from 2-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 1-11 p.m. and Sunday from 2-8 p.m.
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