Traverse City Cherry Whiskeyfest: 2021
by David Levine
Traverse City Whiskey Co. opened in 2014 in its eponymous city, the cherry capital of the world. Surrounded by Montmorency cherries and just miles from Lake Michigan, Traverse City is an ideal place for a distillery, and cherries were in the founders’ minds right from the start.
Now in its second year, Traverse City Cherry Whiskeyfest is mostly a sale show for the distillery. Led by co-founder Chris Fredrickson and Tasting Room Manager Shelly Tabersky as hosts with a featurette from Julie Gordon, President of the Cherry Marketing Institute, I wasn’t expecting the event to necessarily be eye-opening, but knew I would probably enjoy it as I did last year’s event.
There were a few quirks and a tech issue or two, but overall, the event was enjoyable and informative. While a bit stilted in tone, the hosts clearly enjoy their product and made a convincing case for why a new whiskey drinker might enjoy the American Cherry Whiskey, or why a proof hound like I am would enjoy the Barrel Proof Cherry Whiskey.
Chris and Shelly were joined by three co-hosts: Nick Beiter of Breaking Bourbon, Brandon Hunt of Bourbon Charity, and Blake Reiber of Seelbach’s. This was the most confusing part of the event for me: Nick, Brandon, and Blake were each called on to talk about either the state of craft distilling, how the showcased products tasted, and similar generic topics. While all three had some contribution, I came away feeling that Blake alone could have handled the questions. As the founder of Seelbach’s (seelbachs.com), Blake is easily among the top promoters of craft/smaller distilleries across the country. His daily – daily! – emails and texts about new releases are testament to the passion he has for the little guys. And I use that term with all due endearment. Brandon’s inclusion was questionable simply because it wasn’t a charity event nor was there a charitable component that I’m aware of, and Nick’s inclusion felt redundant to Blake’s.
Perhaps there were attendees who felt the opposite. Don’t get me wrong – I have a great respect for all three guys. Simply put: the event was 35 minutes long and was meant to showcase Traverse City Whiskey. I don’t think all three of them were needed to accomplish that, and in fact diluted the TC focus… but enough about that. Back to the whiskey.
Just two years after opening, Traverse City Whiskey released its first American Cherry Whiskey, a 2–3-year-old bourbon at 35% ABV steeped with whole sour Montmorency cherries. Chris, who in addition to being a co-founder is also a distiller, designed this whiskey to be “approachable” and “cherry-forward without a cherry punch,” maintaining a closer profile to its whiskey roots with cherry as an accent and not a base.
I don’t usually find myself liking anything with the word “whiskey” at or below 80 proof, and yet this is done so well that I found myself pouring another dram during the event before even opening the Barrel Proof Cherry Whiskey. Cherries are one of my favorite fruits, and the height of summer is the perfect time to enjoy them. The cherry flavor is fresh, bright, and acidic, while the underlying bourbon never lets you forget that it’s there.
When it comes to cherry notes in whiskies – especially bourbons and ryes – the cherry tends to be less natural and more cough syrupy…in other words, yuck. The Traverse City American Cherry Whiskey is as far from artificial tasting as you can get.
Now to the beast – the Barrel Proof Cherry Whiskey. I loved last year’s batch, the first put out by Traverse City, and was no less excited for this one. By the name alone, you might think this is the American Cherry Whiskey bumped up from 35% ABV to around 55-56%, but that’s not the case.
Instead, the Traverse City team starts by selecting three-barrel batches and blending them at barrel proof (this year’s batch happened to be about six years old). Then, forty pounds of freshly harvested Montmorency sour cherries are steeped whole in a huge mesh bag set in the bourbon like the best cup of tea you’ll never try.
The liquid is sampled frequently to get just the right amount of cherry flavor. According to Chris, this is about three days of steeping give or take a few hours. The result is a barrel proof bourbon with a cherry undertone that brightens the darker bourbon caramels and vanillas and curbs the harshest edges of high-proof spirit.
For me, this year’s batch was even better than last year’s. I highly recommend it if you are near the Traverse City area or know someone who is – the bottles are available at the distillery and the Outpost.
The event concluded with a run-down of upcoming Traverse City releases, including the now-available cherry-flavored and original canned highballs, Cocktail Crate mixers (through a partner company), and a newly released rye in both barrel proof and standard proof versions.
There’s also an upcoming series of finished products with collectible boxes designed by local artist Don Kilpatrick. Featuring a bottle each of 100% Rye finished in Cabernet Franc barrels, Bourbon finished in Ruby Port, and High-Rye Bourbon rested in Sherry Barrels, this series will be available in late September or early October. The boxes, when put together, form a complete mural depicting the Traverse City process from stillhouse to team.
Long story short? There’s a lot to love at Traverse City Whiskey Co. I hope to be visiting them in late October and you better believe I’ll be coming back with a few bottles.
