Spirit Revival

Now that we've mastered beer, craft distilleries are rapidly spreading across Michigan.

Several years ago, Michigan legislators changed the laws that allowed small-distiller’s licenses*. Two James opened in 2013 in Corktown, Detroit’s oldest neighborhood. It is the first licensed distillery in Detroit since Prohibition. The small-batch spirits are made in a former doughnut factory and taxi-repair shop.  

I noticed Two James' row of gorgeous bottles lined up at Meijer last week, and just had to investigate who these two awesome looking dudes were.

David Landrum and Peter Bailey, are longtime friends and the entrepreneurs behind Two James. The company is actually named after their dads (both named James).

They are focused on producing high quality, environmentally conscious spirits from locally sourced products. They hope to revitalize their community and take advantage of the craft  movement.

Photo from Food & Wine.com   

The Detroit River was once a haven for bootleggers who would ferry liquid cargo from Canada. Today, with the growing popularity of distilling in Michigan, the shipments could soon be heading in the other direction.

I'm eager to check out Two James, and do a little sampling on an upcoming trip to Detroit!

*They can’t produce more than 60,000 gallons per year.