TRAVERSE CITY — The National Cherry Festival may be ending, but people can still find cherry-themed events. Traverse City Whiskey Company will host its fifth annual Cherry Whiskey Fest from noon to 4 p.m.
July 13 at The Stillhouse on 14th Street. Chris Fredrickson, the distillery’s president and co-founder, said they are highlighting a unique alcoholic beverage. “We started it in 2020 during COVID, when the Cherry Festival was canceled,” he said.
“The event is focused around the release of the product — a barrel-proof cherry whiskey. This is the most pure, uncut version of the whiskey.” He explained that this is a six-year bourbon blended with “a handful of hand-selected barrels” and then infused with 300 pounds of Montmorency tart cherries.
“We steep the cherries in the whiskey for a few days,” he said. The alcohol goes from the barrel through a filter to remove debris and then bottled, Fredrickson said. Unlike most whiskeys, they do not add water when bottling theirs.
They will also introduce a nine-year, single-barrel whiskey called the “Heritage Edition.” Fredrickson said this will only be sold at the Cherry Whiskey Fest. Justin Chouinard and Ashley Moore run Chubby Unicorn at 439 E.
Front St. They started their eatery in summer 2022 with a food truck and are planning to bring it to Cherry Whiskey Fest. Chouinard said they had fun participating last year.
This year, they are planning to bring a few of their bestselling sandwiches — including th.