Ann Arbor – Working in this Ann Arbor distillery, carefully refining gins, and aging bourbon until it tastes “just right”, is how Robert Cleveland likes to unwind.
“The thing I like the most about it is that it’s really hands-on,” explains Cleveland. “It’s very analog, right?…And we’re just doing it by taste, and smell, and look”
It also helps that he started the Ann Arbor Distilling Company.
“As you look around here, it’s a beautiful old brick building, with a lot of old, turn-of-the-century wood... and someone made a quip to me and just said, ‘this would make a really cool distillery,” says Cleveland.
So he did lots of research, his friends decided to join in, and they started the distillery in 2014. One of the first spirits they decided to sell was gin, because it doesn’t need to age in barrels like whiskey and bourbon do, but they got some interesting feedback in their tasting room. Many customers were not big fans of gin because it tasted like a Christmas tree to them, and that gave them an idea.
They decided to make a 4 gin series based on Michigans 4 seasons, to show people gin isn’t always so piney.
So how do you flavor gin? Well, let’s first discuss how it’s made. Head Distiller, Brandon Johns, walked us through the process. It starts with ground corn they get from local Michigan farmers that they allow to ferment for about a week. After that, it gets put in the still, and they do a low wines run, where they strip it of all its alcohol. This alcohol is then purified further into grain alcohol. From there it is put in the still again with botanicals to flavor the gin.
Classic gin gets its flavor mostly from juniper, a bitter evergreen. Their Spring Gin, which is sort of their gateway into the rest of the line has the least amount of juniper and is instead flavored with lots of flowers and herbs to give you a taste of Spring. While you can still taste a bit of the juniper off the top, it quickly mellows into the floral notes and finishes sweet. The gin even has a slightly pink hue from the hibiscus flowers that flavor it.
The Summer Gin is meant to taste like a farmer’s market. Lots of fresh Michigan produce including tomatoes, cucumber, and raspberries flavor this gin. You can tell right away this isn’t your average gin by the smell, which reminded me of gazpacho. The drink is very vegetable-forward, with a hint of peppercorn at the end. This is probably one of the most unique flavors they offer.
The Fall Gin gets its beautiful amber color from being aged in their old whiskey barrels. This also adds to the taste as well with lots of caramel and vanilla notes typically found in bourbon. They also flavor it with orange and several baking spices like allspice, and cinnamon.
If you are looking for a classic gin, the Winter Gin is the one for you. While it does have juniper in it, they also use Norwegian Spruce, which provides a similar piney taste without as much bitterness. Peppermint and cocoa nibs are also added to round out the taste.
All the herbs and produce they use come from local farmers. They love creating partnerships with them and others in the community so they can all help each other out. The same farmer that delivers their grain takes the leftover mash and feeds it to the animals. The maple syrup barrels they age their whiskeys in then goes back to the maple syrup farm to create some unique maple syrups.
Over the years, their spirits kept growing. They started off selling vodka, gin, and rum, under one label, and now have 20 different spirits under 4 monikers. So no matter the season, Ann Arbor Distilling Company has something for you to try.
Ann Arbor Distilling Company Distillery and Tasting Room is located at 220 Felch Street, in Ann Arbor. Their spirits can be found at many local stores including Meijer and Costco.