A Muskegon Distillery Could Be Named Best New Distillery in U.S.

Wonderland Distilling, a new distillery in Muskegon, is the only distillery in the state to be nominated for USA Today's "Best New Craft Distillery."

19 distilleries, that opened in the last 3-4 years, were selected by a panel of experts and 10Best editors. Wonderland's Chief Marketing Officer said it was an honor to be recognized especially this early on.

We want to continue innovating and pushing limits, and we’re excited that our hard work is paying off right away.

Wonderland opened their cocktail bar in October 2020 and say each of their spirits pays respect to Michigan's nature and celebrates the "adventurous lifestyle." Their ingredients, and even the equipment they use, all comes from Michigan.

The distillery has already won several awards:

2021 MicroLiquor™ Spirits Award: Triple Gold Medal (the highest award) for their new Cask Strength Blend of Straight Whiskeys, silver medal for the Original Blend of Straight Whiskeys, bronze medal for bottle and label design
2021 San Francisco Worlds Spirit Competition: two bronze medals

Courtesy of Burch Partners

USA Today's description of Wonderland points out their "attention to detail" for being one of the reasons for the nomination:

As a new distillery in Michigan, Wonderland is blending other whiskeys while their own products are aging. Their Blend takes corn, wheat, and straight rye whiskeys, distilled and aged on their own, and expertly blends them after maturation. A limited-edition Cask blend is bottled straight from the barrel without proofing. They also offer handcrafted gin and vodka. With this attention to detail, they have a fantastic adventure ahead of them.

The contest runs until Monday, September 13th and you can vote once per day here for Wonderland. As of Tuesday morning, Wonderland is second on the leaderboard, behind Plank Road Distillery in Wisconsin. The top 10 winners will be announced on September 24th.

Also, take this as an opportunity to visit the distillery if you haven't yet. Not only does Wonderland sell drinks but food too, which they say is crafted to pair with their spirits. They even do $9 taco trays on Wednesdays!

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