Hey gang,
Elizabeth here. Thanks for stopping by! This is ClickOnDetroit’s newest newsletter, Craft & Barrel, where I’ll be focusing on the importance of craft beverages in Michigan and the types of experiences drinkers can have.
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For my first story with Craft & Barrel, I wanted to do something special. Today, I am showcasing Red Cedar Spirits. This is one of the oldest functioning and largest distilleries in the state of Michigan and is over in Sparty territory (Go Green!)
I hope that you enjoy what you read and learn something, I know I did when learning about RCS.
Cheers! 🍻
Red Cedar Spirits
Tucked away off of Merritt Street in East Lansing is one of Michigan’s oldest and largest running distilleries.
Red Cedar Spirits produces whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka and brandy.
While covering all of the spirits they can, this distillery in Spartan territory has a rich history.
Working Bugs is the parent company of Red Cedar Spirits. The company was established in 2006, many years before Red Cedar Spirits was in its hands.
Kris A. Berglund and Dianne Holman are two engineers that started the company. The biochemical company uses fermentation and engineering to make different types of chemicals.
So how did a chemical company become a distillery?
Well, the process for both operations is fairly similar.
Berglund was a professor at Michigan State University. He was a known professor for his distillery courses, helping guide young spirits’ connoisseurs into the world of chemical engineering.
According to the university, Berglund established the Artisan Distilling Program over 15 years ago.
In the late 2000s into the early 2010s, Working Bugs, Michigan Brewing Company and Michigan State University worked together to create a distilling course for graduate students.
Berglund would show students the science behind the craft at Michigan Brewing’s establishment in Webberville, right off of I-96. Michigan Brewing Company is also known for starting Kid Rock’s BADASS Beer.
Michigan State University wrote in 2019 about Berglund’s legacy. The former professor started his career at Iowa State University in 1981 and made his way over to MSU in 1984. Besides being an educator, Berglund has written a few publications and was awarded 20 patents. The school acknowledges Berglund as the “Godfather” of Michigan’s distilling industry.
Eventually, Working Bugs purchased a building in East Lansing off of Merritt Road that was close to 41,000 square feet. The couple converted the old public works building of East Lansing into a chemical working place. Berglund started having workshops for those interested in distilling at the company’s new location.
According to Berglund’s wife and owner of Red Cedar Spirits, when Michigan Brewing Company went under in 2012, the company moved over some of the machinery for the distilling program with Michigan State to the new East Lansing location to make a proper distillery.
By 2012 Uncle John’s Cider Mill was working with Working Bugs to make certain alcoholic beverages as he obtained a distiller license.
Holman tells Local 4 that at this time in order to distill you would need to be a winery. Many wineries had the “a-OK” to make brandy.
Uncle John’s produce would be used to make more than just brandy.
After handing off the brand Red Cedar Spirits to Working Bugs the same year, the company finally established itself as a proper distillery. The cider company still has an agreement with Red Cedar Spirits and supplies produce for the distillery’s productions.
From there, the company was in full swing. Besides focusing on just one spirit, the distillery has multiple different flavors. Sourcing from local farms and getting fresh produce, the distillery showcases the various flavors that Michigan has to offer.
The distillery also carries wine from White Pine Winery based out of St. Joseph.
The Michigan State University professor was so passionate about the craft that he took multiple trips to Europe, specifically Germany, to learn more about distilling.
Those that visit the Red Cedar Spirits tasting room will see a plaque from Germany that was given to Berglund. Unfortunately for the company, the Michigan State professor and RCS visionary passed away in 2018.
Kylash Sivakumar, 28, has been a distiller at Red Cedar Spirits for five years. He also went through Berglund’s program at Michigan State University.
On a daily basis Sivakumar is making all of the products, thousands of gallons at a time. He also leads distillery tours during the week for those interested in the spirit-making process.
“We make all of our spirits at the distiller from grain to glass,” said Sivakumar. “We start with fresh grain like corn. We mill the grain, do the mashing, fermentation, distillation, barreling and storage all on-site.”
Sivakumar tells Local 4 that they are very passionate about supporting Great Lakes regional companies and using their fresh produce to create flavorful products.
The distiller mentions that Red Cedar Spirit does contract manufacturing. This allows the distillery to make a base for other craft companies in Michigan. The contract manufacturing gives other distilleries an opportunity to get their feet wet as they enter the craft world.
“Some of the leading distilleries in Michigan today learned the craft back in Kris’ workshops,” said Sivakumar. “Kris was super passionate about distilling and he passed on the enthusiasm to everyone that took his classes and workshops. It was known that he really wanted the industry to take off in Michigan. He was a great mentor and I miss learning and working with him.”
Sivakumar mentions that the co-founders of Long Road Distillery out of Grand Rapids and Northern Latitudes Distillery in Lake Leelanau both learned about the industry from Berglund in many different ways.
The distiller also explains that Berglund’s passion influenced distillery legislation for the state of Michigan to help smaller distilleries get their feet grounded.
“Kris made it easier for distilleries to jump through hoops to get their licensing,” said Sivakumar.
Now let’s get to the drinks...
Below are some of the cocktails that I tried at Red Cedar Spirits. Their menu has a wide range of flavors all emphasized by the company’s house spirits. According to their menu, all of their cocktails are under $10. They also offer cocktails to-go in the $20 range. These to-go cocktails contain three servings.
From the picture below, here are the cocktails left to right:
Flamango
- An apple habanero-infused vodka, mango syrup, honey and lime.
The Basil
- Muddled basil, Blue Label Gin, lime juice, simple syrup, orange juice and grapefruit juice.
Lavender Bee’s Knees
- Blue Label Gin, lavender-infused honey and lemon juice.
Old Fashioned
- Muddle orange and cherry, Oatlander Bourbon, simple syrup, aromatic and orange bitters.
Below are some of Red Cedar Spirits’ top sellers with their flavor notes:
| Whiskey flavors: | Flavor notes: |
|---|---|
| The Professor Green Label Straight Bourbon | This bourbon is a tribute to corn, made with corn from a family-owned farm in Illinois. It is aged for six years minimum and has a sweet aroma. The bourbon is smooth with a warm linger on the finish. |
| Melting Pot Blended Bourbon | This product is a blend of straight bourbon, rye and malt whiskies. These whiskies are aged separately in new American white oak barrels and hand-picked by the master distiller once they’ve reached the right flavor profile. Once blended, the product is aged again in bourbon barrels to bring together all of the flavors. This blended bourbon is well rounded and smooth with peaks of strong flavor from the individual whiskies. |
| Oatlander Bourbon | Smooth with a nice toasted flavor that comes from oats and malted barley. It is aged for six years minimum and is considered the smoothest of the bourbons at Red Cedar Spirits. |
| Red, White and Blue Straight Bourbon | A five-grain bourbon using red, white and blue corns along with malted barley and rye. This take on traditional bourbon adds complexity from the different grains and is a fan favorite of Red Cedar Spirits. This bourbon is aged five years minimum. |
| Gin flavors: | Flavor notes: |
|---|---|
| Blue Label Gin | An American-style gin with a light touch of juniper and other botanicals. This gin has a well-rounded profile and a citrus finish which makes for a versatile spirit. |
| Red Label Gin | A raspberry twist on Red Cedar Spirits’ original gin formulation. In addition to having a light juniper character, raspberries are fully present in both the aroma and flavor profile of the gin. This makes for an excellent and refreshing spin on gin cocktails. |
| Vodka flavors: | Flavor notes: |
|---|---|
| Apple Vodka | This is an unflavored vodka that is fermented and distilled from Uncle John’s apple cider. This vodka has a hint of apple and a subtle sweetness finish. |
| Wheat Vodka | 100% wheat vodka is distilled twice for the most neutral flavor. |
| Corn Vodka | 100% yellow corn vodka distilled twice for an extremely clean product with a subtle sweetness. Extremely smooth and has a creamy mouthfeel. |
- Bitters
If you are interested in checking out Red Cedar Spirits their tasting room is open Tuesday through Sunday.
You can also find their products at Meijer, local liquor stores and Jackson Field aka the stadium the Lugnuts play in Lansing.
Let’s raise a glass
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Thanks for reading, and cheers! - Elizabeth Washington, ClickOnDetroit