KENT COUNTY, Mich. — The former Wise Men Distillery has a new lease on life after shutting down in January. A local maple syrup company has acquired the business and plans to reopen both locations under a new name: Twisted Tap Distillery.
Nicole and Ben Hunderman, owners of Twisted Tap Sugar Shack, see natural connections between their maple syrup operation and distilling.
"It's a lot of creativity. It's almost artwork," said Ben Hunderman, Twisted Tap Distillery co-owner. " Even friends give ideas. We're trying to come up with different things, different flavors."
The couple has rehired Wise Men's head distiller to continue making the original alcohol products while developing new drinks that incorporate their maple syrup.
"The sugars in syrup are perfect for using in any kind of alcohol," explained Jason Post, head distiller at Twisted Tap Distillery. "You can have a good cocktail made out of it, or you can put it directly into the alcohol."
The Hunderman family's maple syrup business began four years ago, though the tradition stretches back generations.
"We've always done it throughout the family. My great-grandpa started doing it a while ago, and my dad did it. And then me [and] my brother kind of fell in love with it and decided we ought to make it a commercial business out of it," said Grayson Hunderman, Twisted Tap Sugar Shack co-founder.
The family operation has expanded significantly since its founding.
"This year, we're up to about 4,500 gallons. And the season's not near over yet for us up in the U.P.," Nicole Hunderman said. "We've definitely did a huge jump in the amount of product that we can produce on a yearly basis."
The Hundermans connected with Wise Men Distillery's owners while searching for equipment to expand their syrup production.
Despite challenges in the alcohol industry, the Hundermans remain optimistic about their new venture's unique appeal.
"I think it will be intriguing to people, and there's a lot of bourbon drinkers out there that will want to come and ... have a whole new drink experience with that," Nicole said. "We're putting a twist in the sip. So, sip the twist."
The downtown Grand Rapids location is expected to open by mid-April, followed by the Kentwood tasting room in May.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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