Traverse City sits on Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan, and it's the largest producer of tart cherries in the United States — the self-declared Cherry Capital of the World, home to a National Cherry Festival every July. Traverse City Whiskey Co., known as "The Whiskey of the North," was founded there by Chris Fredrickson and partners Jared and Moti, drawing on family roots in distilled spirits dating back to the late 1800s and four generations of cherry farming in the region. Their Stillhouse opened in 2014 in the heart of the city, running a custom 400-gallon Kothe still cooled naturally by Michigan groundwater. Michigan's climate is its own argument: surrounded by four Great Lakes, with 80-degree summers and 20-degree winters, the swing is even more dramatic than Kentucky's, driving whiskey deep into the wood and back out again. The flagship Straight Bourbon XXX runs 71% corn, 25% rye, and 4% malted barley, aged four years. But the signature bottle is the American Cherry Edition, which infuses more than ten pounds of Michigan-grown Montmorency sour cherries into every barrel for at least two weeks, with no added sugar — a Silver Medal winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The range also includes barrel proof editions, a Port Barrel Finish, North Coast Rye, and the brand's premium Balaton cocktail cherries.

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