Journeyman Distillery opened in Three Oaks, Michigan in 2010 where a former factory was converted into a distillery and tasting room, gradually adding on event and restaurant spaces and an outdoor putting green. The former Warren Featherbone Company building opened in the 1880s where they manufactured corsets and buggy whips.
Last fall, a second location opened in Valparaiso, Indiana - a venture many years in the making, extended by pandemic delays, that culminated in its grand opening in October 2023. Once again, owners Bill and Johanna Welter rescued a deteriorating factory building that had seen its heyday in the 19th century.
What was once one of the first woolen mills in Porter Country and most recently in use as a windshield wiper factory is now Journeyman Distillery’s American Factory campus where 140,000 square feet of former factory space has been transformed to house restaurants, a brewery, retail store, karaoke bar, private event spaces and outdoor whiskey garden.
While the opening will continue in phases, the first part of opening its doors was Union Hall, a dining space and bar where you can enjoy signature cocktails produced at the Three Oaks location along with a menu of elevated bar bites, impressive entrees and scratch-made desserts, several of which are infused with their spirits.
Appetizers include a smoked trout spread; beef tallow potato chips with bacon blue cheese dip, crispy chicken chorizo rolls, corn fritters, burrata and beer biscuits. There are a number of salads and sandwiches on the menu, along with hearty American entrees like Mill Workers Meatloaf and mashed potatoes with brandy-infused gravy. You’ll find some creative high-end cocktails on the menu, as well as some nice mocktails.
The retail store is also open, where you can purchase merch, spirits, bar accessories and more and do tastings. It’s also where the tours conclude. To learn more about the American Factory, go to journeyman.com
