Journeyman Distillery Visit

[OscarV]

Yesterday we went to Sawyer MI to visit the Greenbush Brewery and we find just up the road in Three Oaks is Journeyman Distillery.

The building looks like a distillery, at one time a century ago it was plus other thinghs too.

See the barrels in the windows?

Their website,... http://journeymandistillery.com/

Welome mat is laid out.

The still looks to cool.

Barrels on stand by ready to be filled.

White dog running.

180 proof off the still.

The young gent in the above pic said that it "comes off the still at such a high quality that it only needs to be aged for one year."

Mmmm, can't wait to try it.

Another view of the still.

Here are some barrels aging, the one in the middle left was filled August ??, 2012 the day the owners daughter was born and he his going to tap it when she turns 21.

Could it be 21 times better than what is sold to the public?

I asked them to call me when they tap into it.

Great bar and atmosphere here.

My bride ordered a Manhattan and I had a "Whiskey Flight" which consists of;

WR White Whiskey, the same mashbill as the Ravenswood Rye and they boast of the fact that it is aged less than 24 hours

Ravenswood Rye, mashbill is rye and wheat

Buggy Whip Wheat, named after the original owner of the place who made buggy whips and corsets,...hmmm, whips, corsets?

Silver Cross, equal parts rye, wheat, corn, barley. Named after the medal given to golf champs in Scotland

Featherbone Bourbon, they say,... "Distilling bourbon is classically American; no matter which direction you’ve come from, or where you’re going, take a moment to appreciate the history in this bottle. There is a well of pure genuine spirit here."

I suppose you can pack a lot of history in 1 year.

OK, I'll just come out and say it.

All were undrinkable, the bourbon was the worse, 1 year old whiskey sucks, raw, green methane taste that would be better suited to mix with gasoline and poured in your car.

This bourbon makes Mellow Corn BIB taste like the Holy Grail. (btw, I like Mellow Corn BIB)

I will however admit that the rye might have potential if left in the barrel for another 7 years, which would make it an 8 year old.

Lynn couldn't drink her Manhatten, that underaged whiskey just killed all the other ingrediants and it smelled bad.

I can't belive that someone who invested his money, time and energy into a project like this doesn't know whiskey.

But I assume he's betting it's the public who doesn't know whiskey and he's correct.

This place is a success, you can buy the stuff at Binny's for 40 bucks a bottle.

And if you check the reviews on Yelp and other consumer review sites they rave about it.

But any bottom shelf bourbon priced well below 9 bucks is far superior.

But this is the future of whiskey in America, the KY guys are already cutting age statements and releasing younger and younger produt.

On the way back to the motel I stopped at a liquor store and got the best available to cleanse my palate.

[squire]

Thanks Oscar, you covered all the bases.

[Tony Santana]

I know someone who swears by their rye. It is somewhat unique with a rye/wheat mashbill, and you indicate it's the one you liked the best, but that was obviously faint praise. I'm still somewhat tempted to try it - are you ordinarily a rye fan Oscar?

[OscarV]

Yes, I like rye whiskey.

I think at 6 years old Thomas H Handy is a bit young.

[Josh]

Thanks for sharing, Oscar, and not pussyfooting around either!

That weird stuff about the distillate being "quality" is something I've heard before from a micro. It must be something that is emphasized by the ADI people. If anything, I would think a Michigan whiskey would need to be aged even longer than something from Kentucky since it's colder here.

Oh and a liquor store close to me has all of the Journeyman products available at a mere $50 a bottle. I think the white stuff might be a little cheaper.

Thanks again!

[OscarV]

Thanks for sharing, Oscar, and not pussyfooting around either!

Do you think I should post the link to this review on their FaceBook page?

[Harry in WashDC]

Thanks for the review. Here's hoping that the owners, if they see it, take it as constructive criticism from a person who knows competitors' products. BTW, they have a really nice front door, and their pot still and column still are really nice looking, too. Kind of reminds me of a brewpub I visited once that had a really shiny fermentation tank behind glass behind the bar. Too bad the food and beer wasn't as shiny.

[OscarV]

​Hey guys it's not just me, here is a review I came across from Yelp,...

This is only about the bourbon. They shouldn't be allowed to sell the stuff. I've never had worse. Sorry, but I know good from bad bourbons and this doesn't even come close to bad (well types). What they charge is ridiculous, too. Unfortunately, there's a lot of brewers/distillers that are jumping on the bourbon bandwagon now that it's a popular drink. Wish I didn't have to give them even one star.

[MyOldKyDram]

Makes the Four Kings Blend sound that much better. :/

ETA: also, please tell me that 180 proof white dog wasn't intended to become their "bourbon."

Edited May 1, 2014 by MyOldKyDram

[Harry in WashDC]

That "quality" 180 proof might give Everclear a run for its money.:shocked:

[MyOldKyDram]

It's just that it wouldn't qualify as bourbon or rye at that point yeah?

[KyleCBreese]

A store I frequent near my work bought about 5 cases of each of the Journeyman products and they have not moved. Maybe a few bottles from each, but it's been about 2-3 months and they just are not selling.

[cowdery]

I stopped in there once about a year ago. Most impressive was the young lady tending bar. I had the Featherstone bourbon. Since my expectations for young, micro-distilled whiskeys are so low, I thought it wasn't bad as they go. Perhaps the hot bartender clouded my judgment. Oliver, appropriately, judges them against the fully-aged bourbons and ryes we can buy for half the price from the major producers, so I have no quarrel with his assessment. But as a work in progress, they are better than many.

And as for success, you may have noticed how crammed in they are there. It's my understanding that they will be moving to larger quarters soon.

The building they are in now was built to make whalebone corsets, back in the days when there were whales in Lake Michigan.

I'm imagining that bartender wearing one now.

[MyOldKyDram]

Chuck, is the proof off the still Oscar gave correct? And if so is that for all of their distillate?

[OscarV]

Oliver,

Oliver?!?

.......

[T Comp]

Oliver?!?

.......

Well there is some parallel to Oliver's plight and his famous plea "Please sir, I want some more"...just not food but Properly Aged Whiskey :grin:.

[s8ist]

Chuck, you need to come down when they have the Corsets, Whips, and Whiskey weekend (July?). There was a bartender wearing a corset last year. Stacked to the nines. Quite amazing....don't remember if I snapped a photo or not.

-

As for the like/dislike of the Journeyman products, I see their products as being more in line with high-end cocktail making as opposed to drinking on its own. I will admit that most people are probably not going to spend that kind of money on a mixer, but I could definitely see bars/restaurants doing it.

[Josh]

A bad whiskey can ruin a good cocktail, as Oscar's bride's experience would indicate.

[sutton]

Chuck, is the proof off the still Oscar gave correct? And if so is that for all of their distillate?

Curious about this as well - how can any of this be whiskey if coming off at 180 proof?

[callmeox]

So clean, its not bourbon like from start to finish.

If this is true, perhaps there should be a rules test included in the application for DSP license. If a large number of SB members are aware of these rules, it should be simple for a distiller to know as well.

[MyOldKyDram]

Oh just trust em, guys.

They're probably on the ethics committee too.

[OscarV]

I stopped in there once about a year ago.

Most impressive was the young lady tending bar. I had the Featherstone bourbon. Since my expectations for young, micro-distilled whiskeys are so low, I thought it wasn't bad as they go. Perhaps the hot bartender clouded my judgment.

The building they are in now was built to make whalebone corsets, back in the days when there were whales in Lake Michigan.

I'm imagining that bartender wearing one now.

First, I'm not trying to single you out Chuck, just trying to make a point with your positive experience at the bar.

And that is these micro distilleries and I'll throw in the micro breweries are selling their product via fun.

The whiskey is cheap methane and they push the product by way of the experience at the bar.

Check out their FaceBook pages and Yelp and other consumer review websites.

The typical response is a person going there with friends, buddies, spouses, partners etc. etc.

And then having a great time, of course they are, they are with people they like and they are all consuming alcohol.

All the pictures on these sites makes it look they are at Mardi Gras or St Patrick's Day.

And this is very very profitable for them because they get the manufacturers profit, the wholesaler profit and the retailers profit all rolled into one at the bar.

So they are doing a great job selling an extremely bad product disguised as a social experience.

But this is nothing new, as they say sex sells.

[HighHorse]

But this is nothing new, as they say sex sells.

I'll buy that .

[cowdery]

Well, Oscar, most people these days would blame that on their Autocorrect but I don't have Autocorrect. The malfunction is all in my head.

And as for Journeyman's proof off the still, I believe everything Oliver..., er, Oscar tells me.

I do know a couple of micros who have told the TTB what their distillation proof is and the TTB has told them to label their product as rye whiskey anyway. Don't know of it happening with bourbon but I know it has happened with rye.

Edited May 3, 2014 by cowdery

[tmckenzie]

I imagine 180 is right. these didtillers popping up do not know mmuch at all about whiskey. they listen to what the german still makers tell them and they basically put vodka in a barrel. I talk to a lot of them, you would be amazed at some of the stuff going on. it just aint right.