Long Road Distillers Spotlight: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Long Road Distillers started with a question worth asking: what does Michigan spirits look like when it is made with Michigan grain, from a base of genuine craft conviction, in a city that values what gets made here? The answer is the distillery at 537 Leonard St NW in Grand Rapids, and it has been one of the city’s most compelling small business stories since it opened in 2015.

Long Road distills bourbon, whiskey, gin, aquavit, and a rotating selection of seasonal and experimental spirits from Michigan-sourced grains when possible. The aquavit in particular has earned attention well outside the craft spirits community, made in the Scandinavian tradition with a botanicals profile that reflects genuine research into the style. The bourbon program has developed with age as the barrels laid down early on mature and reach the release point.

The tasting room on Leonard Street is a beautifully designed space in the West Side neighborhood, with a cocktail bar that applies the same ingredient-forward philosophy to drinks that the distillery applies to production. The cocktail menu changes seasonally and features Long Road spirits in preparations that make the best case for each one.

A second location in downtown Grand Rapids expanded the brand’s reach while keeping the original Leonard Street site as the production home. Both locations reflect a consistent commitment to quality and to Michigan.

Visit at longroaddistillers.com on Leonard Street NW in Grand Rapids.

Michigan Small Business Spotlight is proud to feature Long Road Distillers as one of West Michigan’s most accomplished and forward-thinking craft spirits operations.