Two major distillery expansions in Leelanau County hit some bumps in the road, but company owners say both projects are alive and well.

Despite its name, Traverse City Whiskey Co. has its administrative headquarters and a large chunk of production in the county (on Robinson Road off M-72) and is in the process of transforming the old Cherry Growers facility along Center Highway into a multimillion dollar production facility and tasting room.

Northern Latitudes Distillery, located for more than a decade in Lake Leelanau, broke ground last fall on a new production and tasting room facility just down the road from their current location.

Both facilities will significantly expand capacity and provide snazzy new guest experiences, but both are also behind schedule after a variety of delays. The Ticker caught up with Chris Fredrickson (co-owner of Traverse City Whiskey) and Mark Moseler (co-owner of Northern Latidues) to see where these projects stand.

Northern Latitudes

After a pause in activity, Moseler says work will resume as soon as next week on their 12,000 square foot facility that will triple their footprint and provide extra space for storage, operations and customer experiences. Though they initially hoped to be open by Memorial Day, the goal now is the end of the year.

“We set a pretty aggressive timeline last fall. All things being equal, this happens, that happens, everything happens (and you get behind),” he says. “It’s typical of entrepreneurs that we think that we can beat all the odds at everything and we're going to be different than everybody else, and that's not the case.”

Issues with the land itself along with construction "hiccups" have all played a role in things falling behind schedule, Moseler says. And while it's definitely a “pain in the butt” to get knocked off course, he’s maintaining a positive attitude.

“It's been a silver lining in a number of respects for us. The idea that we wanted to be in around Memorial Day weekend and that we would be moving into a brand new building during the crazy (summer season) is ludicrous,” he says. “Now that we think about it…It would be smart for us to get into the building in the slow season and figure out how it works, how it runs, the best operating procedures.”

Northern Latitudes also remains in business at its current location, which softens the blow.

“We're in the same place that we've been for 13 years, so people know where we are,” Moseler says. “We're still in business. We're still doing well. Things are going great.”

Traverse City Whiskey

Over at the old Cherry Growers facility, the Traverse City Whiskey team has now pushed the opening of their new complex from this year to sometime in late 2025.

“The master plan is still the same, the square footage hasn’t changed, but the price tag has ballooned,” Fredrickson said. “The larger cost of the project alongside interest rates have been the driving forces behind our lack of progress.”

Increased labor and materials costs means the Traverse City Whiskey team is looking to scale back some of the elements initially planned for the $20 million project or risk seeing the cost nearly double.

But it’s not all bad. A former home on the property was used by the Elmwood Township fire department for a controlled burn a few months ago, and crews were able to complete construction on a massive, 20,000 square foot, four-story rickhouse that will be capable of holding about 17,000 barrels of whiskey.

The rickhouse was built by Buzick Construction, a preeminent Kentucky-based rickhouse builder that has worked with all of the country’s major whiskey and bourbon brands.

“This is a traditional Kentucky-style rickhouse, and it’s the first of its kind in Michigan at this magnitude,” Fredrickson says. “The closest thing like it is probably 350-400 miles away.”

As with Northern Latitudes, the lack of progress on a new facility is bothersome, but not a cause for panic.

“We’re blessed with having an existing robust business,” he says. “We’re selling our whiskey in 35 states, we’re producing our cocktail cherries and they’re being sold nationally. The business continues growing. The (new facility) is a priority, but it’s not hyper time sensitive.”