The Paw Paw Playhouse is playing host to the Grand Traverse Distillery this July

When you think of the Paw Paw Palyhouse, most of us think of place that is filled with music, comedy and theater performances. But that is all changing on July 5th! The Paw Paw Play house is playing host to a whiskey tasting event. According to their web-site...

Grand Traverse Distillery's Angie Jackson, AKA the Traveling Elixir Fixer will be hosting a whiskey tasting event. Come try 3 of Grand Traverse's finest whiskeys and cocktails and then stay for a FREE Open Mic night concert.

The cost of the event is only $10.00, and you will learn and taste so much. If you are not familiar with the smokey elixir, whiskey is a classic dark liquor that has stood the test of time.. There are so many different types of whiskey, honey, spicy, etc. but they all start off the same way. The Huffington Post does a great job of explaining the brew...

Whiskey (or sometimes, Whisky)

Who should we thank for the different spellings of this popular spirit? Geography. "Whiskey" is produced stateside, while many other countries call their product “whisky.” However you choose to spell it, this distilled alcoholic beverage is made from fermented grain mash (barley, corn, rye or wheat) and typically aged in charred white oak casks, giving it its distinctive brown color. Whiskey is a broad category of liquor and can have lots of differences in color, taste and smell.

One very delicious variety of whiskey is Rye, here is how it is described...

Rye Whiskey

Rye whiskey“ can refer either to American whiskey, which must be distilled from at least 51% rye and aged two years or more, or Canadian whisky, which may or may not actually include any rye in its production process. Full in body and spice, rye — which had been playing second fiddle to its closest cousin, bourbon, ever since U.S. corn production increased in the decades following Prohibition — has been making a steady comeback on cocktail menus across the country in the last decade.

I have enjoyed many a whiskey drinks over the years, but I have not experienced a Michigan version of the liquor that was made right here in the Mitten State.

Kent Rabish explains the start of his Grand Traverse Distillery...

When Kent Rabish was merely a boy he and his siblings uncovered a still hidden in the back of the barn on the family farm.  Turns out, Grandfather George Rabish was a man who wasted not, as excess grain and corn from the fields found a use in one way or another. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s that Kent revisited this familial tradition with the forming of Grand Traverse Distillery, and in 2007 had products on the market. The concept has always been the same, create an exceptional locally-sourced spirit and waste not.

I can't wait to sip on these whiskeys and learn all about them! The Paw Paw Playhouse is located at 404 East Michigan Ave.

See you at the event!

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