A New Whiskey Tasting Room Is Settling Down Inside Como’s in July

Northern Michigan’s Traverse City Whiskey Co. is aiming to open its first metro Detroit tasting room in early July. A representative for the distillery confirms to Eater that the company is preparing to debut its Ferndale bar next month inside Como’s, after receiving licensing approval from city council members today.

The Traverse City Whiskey Co. tasting room is slated fill a subdivided sliver of space inside the recently renovated Como’s restaurant building at the corner of Nine Mile and Woodward. The company is currently in the process of hiring its opening staff. The bar is expected to seat around 60 customers and will serve a full cocktail menu featuring the company’s line of whiskeys including bourbon and rye. Patrons will also be able find some products that aren’t part of the distillery’s wider distribution business, too.

When Traverse City Whiskey Co. initially leased space inside Como’s state law did not require the distillery to receive local licensing approval, according to the Daily Tribune. However, the rules have since changed. The tasting room’s licensing in Ferndale faced an uphill climb with council members initially divided over approval. The issue narrowly passed during a vote today. Ferndale had previously approved rules requiring businesses with liquor licenses to offer parking or pay the city to subsidize public parking in the downtown district. The rules resulted in developments further outside the main downtown Ferndale corridor. Some council members expressed concern that too many businesses in Ferndale hold liquor licenses.

Traverse City Whiskey Co. [Courtesy photo]

This is the second location for the Northern Michigan distillery founded by Chris Fredrickson, Jared Rapp, and Moti Goldring in 2014. The company has an 800-barrel production capacity. In addition to the tasting room, Traverse City Whiskey Co. is in the process of building a larger production facility and visitor center in Traverse City.

• Whiskey Tasting Room Planned for Como’s Opening [ED]
• Traverse City Whiskey Tasting Room Coming to Como’s in Ferndale After Close Vote [Daily Tribune]
• All Como’s Coverage [ED]
• All Bars Coverage [ED]