In Michigan, we take our adult beverages seriously. Grand Rapids hasn’t earned and kept the “Beer City USA” title by accident, and heavyweights like GR’s Long Road Distillers and Traverse City Whiskey Co. are constantly popping up in national headlines.
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Discover Michigan’s Best Bourbon
Around my house, though, bourbon reigns supreme. That is mostly because my husband, Charlie, is a huge whiskey fan who is always on the hunt for the next great pour. And he always ends up sharing with my two brothers, who also big on bourbon.
So when Tasting Table released their national roundup crowning the best bourbon brand in every single US state, I had to see who took the Michigan title.
Scoring the top honor is a West Michigan powerhouse: Jos. A. Magnus & Co. in Holland.
A 122-Year-Old Recipe Brought Back To Life
The bourbon brand has a very interesting history. Born in Georgia, Joseph Magnus eventually moved to Ohio, founding the brand in Cincinnati back in 1892.
Production ground to a halt when Prohibition rolled around in 1918, and the story seemed over. Fast forward nearly a century later to 2014, when Magnus’s great-grandson, Jimmy Turner, stumbled upon a few untouched, 122-year-old original bottles tucked away in family archives.
Award-Winning Spirits Handcrafted In Holland
Instead of leaving them on a display shelf, Turner brought in a dream team of spirits industry heavyweights to analyze a few drops and recreate the historic pour. Using high-end cask finishes in sherry, cognac, and Armagnac barrels, they successfully brought the pre-Prohibition legend back to life…