Ironfish Distillery

Iron Fish Distillery is a craft spirits producer and farm distillery founded in 2016 in Springdale Township, Manistee County, Michigan. Distinguished as Michigan's first farm distillery, the operation is built on a 120-acre working farm located along the Betsie River watershed. The company follows a comprehensive soil-to-spirit production model, growing and harvesting its own grain on-site, then carrying the product through milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling, and barrel aging — all within the same farm property. This fully integrated approach gives Iron Fish Distillery a level of traceability and authenticity rare in the craft spirits industry.

The distillery produces estate whiskies made exclusively from grain grown on its own farmland and from neighboring farms, while also sourcing bourbon from producers around the world for finishing in proprietary barrels. This dual strategy allows the operation to offer both deeply local estate expressions and a diverse range of barrel-finished whiskies with complex flavor profiles. To date, its barrel library exceeds 2,400 barrels, comprising carefully selected farm barrel-finished whiskies alongside estate-distilled spirits. All production runs are small-batch, emphasizing quality and craft over volume.

Iron Fish Distillery holds MAEAP (Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program) certification, underscoring its commitment to environmentally responsible farm and production practices. The 120-acre property, which sat abandoned for over two decades before being purchased in 2011, has been transformed into a thriving agricultural destination that draws more than 100,000 visitors annually. Guests can participate in distillery tours, tastings, seasonal events, trivia nights, guided hikes, and community fundraisers — making the distillery a significant rural tourism and hospitality destination in northern Michigan.

The company was co-founded by two families — Heidi Bolger and David Wallace, along with Sarah and Richard Anderson — who drew inspiration from centuries-old Scottish farm distilleries, particularly those on the Isle of Islay, during a formative 2013 trip to Northern Scotland. That experience shaped Iron Fish Distillery's identity as a producer rooted in heritage craft methods adapted to the American Midwest agricultural context. The distillery's name and brand identity are inspired by the Steelhead fish that run the nearby Betsie River, symbolizing determination, strength, and a return to tradition.

Iron Fish Distillery serves both direct-to-consumer and broader retail markets, offering spirits produced in small runs with a clear regional identity. Its integration of farming, distilling, hospitality, and community engagement positions it as a distinctive player in the American craft spirits segment, particularly within the farm-to-bottle and agri-tourism categories.