Michigan's Craft Distilling Scene, by the Numbers
How big Michigan's craft distilling industry has actually gotten, and what's driving its continued growth.
Michigan's craft distilling scene has grown fast enough that even people who live here often underestimate its actual size.
The numbers behind the growth
Michigan had 36 craft distilleries in 2016. That number more than doubled by 2020, and the state is now home to more than 80, according to the Michigan Craft Distillers Association. The spirits industry as a whole, covering distilling, manufacturing, wholesale, retail, and tourism, now contributes more than $1 billion to Michigan's economy.
What's driving it
A 2008 change in state law made small-scale distilling genuinely practical for the first time, reducing licensing costs and allowing on-site sales without a distributor. That single legal shift, more than any single trend or brand, explains why Michigan's craft distilling scene grew from a handful of operations to dozens within about a decade.
Where distilleries have clustered
Michigan's craft distilling scene isn't concentrated in one place. Detroit's whiskey history gives the city a natural pull for new distilleries building on that legacy. Grand Rapids and the western side of the state have developed their own cluster, tied partly to the region's established craft beer culture. Up North, particularly around Traverse City, has become another hub, drawing on both agricultural resources and a strong tourism economy.
Real grain going into these operations
Roughly three million pounds of Michigan-grown grain and fruit go into the state's distilling process every year. That's a meaningful amount of genuinely local agriculture supporting the industry, not just a marketing claim about being Michigan-made.
A young industry, still finding its footing
Craft distilling is a genuinely difficult business, and the national craft spirits sector has seen real contraction recently after years of rapid growth. Michigan hasn't been fully immune to that pressure either. Even so, the state's overall trajectory since 2008 remains a real growth story, not a temporary spike.
What this means for drinkers
A crowded, competitive craft scene tends to benefit the people buying the whiskey more than anyone else. More distilleries experimenting with mash bills, barrel sizes, and finishing techniques means more genuine variety on the shelf, not just more of the same product under different labels.
How Maria's Whiskey Club supports this scene
We think a strong local distilling industry benefits everyone drinking whiskey in this state: more variety, more experimentation, and more reasons to pay attention to what's happening close to home.
Ask us about Michigan-made releases currently in the Whiskey Club lineup.
