Nestled in a neighborhood just off Main Street in Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Distilling Company crafts a wide range of boutique spirits. We asked A2DC’s Sales and Distribution Manager, Michael Fox, to share about what makes them different and his favorite spirits.
Where are ingredients sourced for Ann Arbor Distilling’s spirits?
Fox: The base of all of our spirits is from Michigan grown grain and/or produce. All of the corn, wheat and rye comes from a single family-owned farm in Dexter, while our malted barley comes from Traverse City. The fruits that we use in our fruit liqueurs and brandy based spirits come from around the State. The coffee that we use in our Spaulding’s Coffee Liqueur is a special roast that is made for us by Roos Roast in Ann Arbor. We use over 20 botanicals in each of our gins – we buy as much local produce as we can to make these, though obviously we cannot use Michigan grown citrus and a few other botanicals.
How do they affect the flavor?
Fox: Using local ingredients allows us to make sure that we control the quality of our spirits. As an example, we pay slightly more per pound of grain to use local, but we can order on demand which means that we don’t worry about spoilage. At the end of the year, it ends up being better quality AND lower cost. he main benefit of using local is that we do not have to rely on a middle man, or trust that a farmer out of state is giving us the best possible product. We have total control over what we receive and get to know our suppliers personally, so they will grow and farm the way we ask them to. We also get to use fresh ingredients as opposed to concentrates or additives.
What is the distillation process like for the spirits? How does it differ between products?
Fox: (This is a pretty difficult question to answer in a brief way!) The basics of distillation are the same for all products. We start with locally grown grains (corn, rye, malted barley and wheat), then we mix the grains with water and yeast to create a “mash”. That mash is then allowed to ferment. After it has fermented, we add it to the still and begin the distillation process. The distillation process heats the mash to create vapor, which travels through the still’s columns, then re-condenses and comes out as a very high proof spirit. If we are making Bourbon or Whiskey, the spirit is then placed in oak barrels to age until it is ready to be consumed. Our whiskeys will typically age 2 years or more before we take them out of the barrel. If we are making gin, the high proof spirit, the “neutral grain spirit”, is run through the still again with our mix of botanicals to create our gins.
What is your favorite spirit from A2DC and how do you like to enjoy it?
Fox: It is difficult to choose a favorite spirit from our portfolio, so I will choose two! Our Fox River Bourbon and our ARBOR Summer Gin. I prefer to drink our Bourbon neat, or in a simple spirit-forward cocktail, like an old fashioned. Our Summer Gin is loaded with over 22 botanicals and has the equivalent of about 1.4lb of fresh produce in every bottle. I also enjoy sipping this neat, experimenting with very small amounts of water or ice to bring out all of the different flavors. I also enjoy it in a Gimlet, as a Gin & Tonic, or just with a splash of club soda over ice.
What else do you think people should know about A2 Distilling?
Fox: What I would love people to understand about A2DC is that we are dedicated to our State and the people who live here and support us. By using only Michigan grains and fruits, we are able to keep all of the money in our State. We buy directly from the farmer, or from a local processor. We give out spent grains to local farmers who use them to feed their livestock. Our spent botanicals are used by Beer and Mead producers in Michigan to flavor their products. The entire life cycle of our products impacts our community by helping to keep the money here instead of going to large corporations and factory distilleries (which is what happens when you buy large factory brands).
In addition to the local aspect of our business, we are dedicated to helping the community who supports us. We believe that being a good community partner is just as important as producing the world class products that we distill. In 2021 alone, we raised over $25,000 for numerous not for profits and charities such as Ele’s Place Ann Arbor, the Humane Society of Huron Valley, the Ann Arbor Art Center, Mott Children’s Hospital, the Ann Arbor Film Festival and many others. We raise these funds by creating canned cocktails with these organizations at no cost to them. We then sell them in our tasting room and a portion of each sale goes directly to the organization.
We want to tell everyone that there is no reason to think that you need to purchase the big name factory spirits. Michigan has the second highest agricultural diversity in the country, and we can make spirits that rival and in many cases exceed the quality of the big name brands.
Not only will you get a higher quality product, but you will be supporting our local economy as well, instead of lining the pockets of out of state or out of country factories, suppliers, importers and distributors. We live where we work and we love where we live.
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All are welcome to visit Ann Arbor Distilling Company to enjoy their carefully made Michigan spirits.
Ann Arbor Distilling Company
220 Felch St, Ann Arbor
www.annarbordistilling.com/
Further Reading:
Emma Beauchamp is the former Editor in Chief for Taste the Local Difference.