The Whiskey Factory - Detroit City Distillery

We couldn’t have imagined a more perfect setting for our wedding than The Whiskey Factory. From the moment we toured, we knew our search was over. The space itself created a unique backdrop that was both stylish and inviting and truly felt like us. What really made the experience exceptional was the staff. Both Amelia and Abby were absolutely incredible. They were professional, responsive, and went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. From helping with layout logistics to ensuring our signature cocktails (made with the distillery’s own spirits!) were a hit, they were an absolute dream to work with. Our guests are still raving about how cool and memorable the venue was—and how amazing the drinks were! If you're looking for something different from the typical ballroom wedding, The Whiskey Factory is an absolute gem that will make your day truly special. We’re so grateful for everything and would recommend this venue in a heartbeat!

My husband and I highly recommend using The Whiskey Factory as your wedding venue! Our experience with them was flawless. Communication was timely, the planning process was very organized, and not to mention the venue is absolutely stunning. We got endless compliments on how nice and unique of a venue it was! The floor plan is a blank canvas to allow you to decorate to your taste. My husband and I do not drink much, but their cocktails were absolutely delicious! We loved the process of picking out our signature cocktail menu with them at our tasting. So much fun! If you are looking for a gorgeous and unique wedding venue to get compliments even well after your wedding is over, then The Whiskey Factory will be perfect!

We attended the BYOB blend your own bourbon tour and wow! Highly recommend to anyone that is looking for a unique experience. Our host, Michael was knowledgeable and fun, and he brought great energy to the group. I’m a newbie to drinking bourbon and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the tasting and making my own blend. We can’t wait to be back!

We cannot stress enough how perfect this venue is! We used The Whiskey Factory for our November 2024 wedding and are still receiving compliments from our guests as to how personalized and unique the space was, truly reflecting us as a couple. From our first walk through, to cocktail tasting and all the in-betweens, every single staff member we met with made us feel so welcome all while being incredibly organized and attentive. The entire wedding planning process was low-stress and very fun. We look forward to hearing “That was the most fun we’ve had at a wedding” and “We never knew spaces like this existed, this is the coolest place to get married” for the rest of our lives! Thank you to everyone at The Whiskey Factory for making our wedding vision come to life and be a day even more incredible than we could have imagined!!!

Definitely a fun event to enjoy with friends! This is the 3rd year for my Crew and we love it every time. Get educated on Detroit history and how the factory came to be. Learn how Whiskey is made while enjoying a deliciously crafted cocktail, then an 100 year old shot of whiskey as a group at the end of the tour. Very fun!!🥃🤗 Michael was an amazing host, and made the tour most enjoyable. He was funny, well informed on the Detroit Whiskey Factory history, and toured an different area of the factory that we've never seen before. We all had so much fun.

What a phenomenal experience! I took my friend here for a birthday experience and it was amazing! Michael was our tour guide/instructor ~ top tier! We learned so much about the history of bourbon then learned how to experience and blend our very own bottle. I highly recommend signing up for this unique experience 10/10! Well worth it

We had an exceptional experience at the Whiskey Factory last week during our tasting and tour. Michael was absolutely outstanding—his knowledge, enthusiasm, and professionalism greatly enhanced our visit and made it truly memorable. We also want to extend our sincere appreciation to Amelia, who was instrumental in coordinating every detail of the tour. Her responsiveness, warmth, and attention to detail made the planning process seamless and enjoyable. Both Michael and Amelia contributed significantly to an unforgettable outing, and we highly recommend the Whiskey Factory experience to anyone seeking a well-organized and engaging event.

Booked this as a unique experience to try in downtown Detroit. We had an absolute blast. Our tour guide Michael was funny, honest, and informative about the history of the distillery and how to properly taste bourbon. We felt very welcomed, able to ask any questions we had, learned a lot, and got to taste a multitude of options they serve, let alone bourbon. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a unique experience with a local company. One of the best tastings I have ever participated in.

Located on the site of the old Stroh's I've cream factory, Detroit City Distillery Factory and Tour has brought life back into the old bones. Walking in, you are immediately greeted by a host area, but looks can be deceiving because looking around you are not seeing the decorations imitating what a working distillery should look like, you are stepping into the heart of the machinations that make some of the best spirits in the world We were all here as part of the Detroit Spartans (Michigan State Alumni group) tour of the distillery as a fundraiser for the alumni scholarship. Sidebar: the owner is a Spartan which is only further evidence of the great product this distillery makes. We were greeted on entry by Garrett who would also double as our tour guide tonight. He gave us a complimentary welcome drink (junipery and delicious) and then proceeded to guide us for the next hour on a journey that taught us the history of the building, explained the bourbon/whisky making process, why it's perfectly legal to make bourbon outside of Kentucky, and the proper way to judge a bourbon (the rise, the attack and the fall) and of course finished it off with a tasting. I just can't gush enough praises on Garrett first and foremost. He was knowledgeable of course, but even more importantly he was enthusiastic. He genuinely seemed to love giving this tour and explaining how glorious their product was to people. It was infectious and the crowd responded in kind to the enthusiasm by being very active. I don't think I saw one person in the group not enjoying themselves. Secondly, I want to gush about their event space. It is not flashy. It is not overly decorated. Strings of lightbulbs highlight bare ceilings, barrels of whiskey being aged, cement floor and a beautiful wooden bar at the far end of the room. Yet, in this simplicity is just a quaint, lovely space perfect for smaller events. If you get an opportunity to go to an event here or to be a part of the tour I would highly recommend it. Just so well done and left feeling genuinely happy and warm. Highly recommend!

This was our main reason for coming to Detroit today. We got reservations to the Whiskey Factory. We weren't sure what to expect as it's a warehouse but they have transformed it into a really cool spot. The Ambiance was terrific. There were candles everywhere and areas you could sit and hang out. A bar area as well! Our tickets offered a choice of three drinks each. And we also ordered a charcuterie tray. They had a decent variety of choices so that was nice. The presentation was beautiful. Unfortunately, our 8 on reservations at the Highlands cut our experience q bit shorter than we would have liked. It was a great place to hang out and enjoy, but we felt a bit rushed. The fact it was raining and we were getting a lyft back also meant our experience was a bit rushed. We are planning on doing their Sunday Brunch Special there next, so I'm excited to do things in reverse order and just chill and enjoy. Either way this experience was unique and made me very happy!

There is no better vibe, service and cocktails in Detroit! This was my second event here and both times it felt like such a treat! Like an experience instead of just a day out. We attended one of their brunch events- $65 pp for two courses paired with specialty cocktails, tax and tip included. The cocktails were AMAZING- and we all ordered a 3rd at the end just to continue tasting! We weren't expecting much from the food because this is a whiskey place, right? But it was delicious! My only sadness is that no more brunches on the schedule right now as they have a lot of weddings coming up. Stay on their email or social media and then snap up a reservation when they come available because they SELL OUT a quickly! Love this place!

Had an awesome time on the whiskey tour! Great experience not only listening to the history of whiskey making in this country, but Detroit's impact in it. Our tour guide was fun and knowledgeable and made EVERYONE feel welcomed. I walked away happy and informed and would highly recommend to others. Note: the entrance is hard to find as the Whisky factory shares the building with the Distillery. Go to the entrance with the closed gate and hit the buzzer to be let it. Also makes a gorgeous, rustic wedding space.

Amazing ambiance. I will definitely visit this place again. I just wish they had music ! That's the only thing that was missing. They are also pretty reasonably priced

The building decor itself is worth 4 stars, in my book. 2 course Sunday brunch- bruschetta,goat cheese,pesto, berry salad- paired with a talon gin & strawberry basil tonic. 2nd. Course - breakfast pizza with eggs, veggies, cheese and rocket green salad- kind of like a flat bread- paired with bloodline whiskey, apricot and lime. 2nd course was large - bit of leftovers. Service was great. Was it worth $65 a person? Probably not - but possibly I only live once !

Took the factory tool and learned a lot about the friends that started the business and some interesting facts about Whiskey. It was fun. The booze is OK. At the end of the tour, you get two small shots. One bourbon and one rye. That's in. Still, glad I did it.

Amazing event venue. I visited the whiskey factory last week for my company holiday party. Great space, very industrial and unique. Ideal for a industrial/rustic wedding in the city. Minor downfall with lack of great parking but with Eastern Market right across the street the problem is easily solved. We hired in Forte Belanger to cater and the set up perfectly fit our needs. Amazing service, speedy for the leave volume of people at the initial rush. STRONG drinks, as expected from a distillery. (Photo not mine)

Stopped in for a tour and a taste. I was not disappointed. So much history in this building. Loved looking around and trying the bourbon. Loved the vodka and gin also. This would be the perfect place for a business event or a wedding. They have a major hall upstairs. I ended up picking up a few bottles to bring home. To good not to have some in my own bar. It's so good to see Detroit winning. You have to stop in.

If you are even one iota interested in Whiskey, take this tour. Very informative. You get a yummy welcome cocktail(that you can refill) and you learn and taste a ton about whiskeys. I thought I was a fan of bourbon, but their rye changed my mind. Just go! Garrett was our tour guide and was fantastic and full of history.

We booked with The Whiskey Factory in Dec 2018 for our Feb 2020 wedding. There was a change in event staff, but there weren't problems until our wedding day. At our event, we had multiple problems with TWF. After, I sent TWF a detailed email with the issues below. Their response was "we did nothing wrong". I pushed back saying that we did not receive what we paid for in services. Their final response was "Our lawyer will handle it". We talked with their lawyer. He apologized for our dissatisfaction and expressed concern for potential 'defamation' by one of my guests that I had mentioned in my emails. His response was that we would be able to get some money back for services not rendered IF WE PROVIDED CONTACT INFO FOR THE GUEST. (We requested $1000 returned). TWF lawyer followed up after a few days, offering $500 for our dissatisfaction, again needing to provide the contact info. At that point, it became clear that TWF did not care about our experience or service, they were only interested in talking with my guest about "potential defamation". We did not accept their offer and have walked away from the situation all together. I would never recommend this establishment. They don't respect your event, time, or the high price tag you pay for their service. 1) The elevator broke between cocktail hour and dinner. We had several guests with mobility issues, including a guest in a wheelchair. It was resolved by the security team carrying the guest up the two huge flights of stairs. I don't know if this was my planner's doing or TWF's offer. 2) The drink package that we selected, Riopelle Tasting Room was supposed to be served. However, during cocktail hour they served only 3 Artisanal Batch Cocktails from punch jars. We discussed the cocktail hour setup at the final walkthrough on Jan 25, where Alyssa confirmed it would be served at the full bar upstairs. 3) The 3 TWF selected batch cocktails continued to be served from the full bar, even after our planner spoke with Lindsey, the on site event staff, explaining that punch was not a part of the package we selected. Guests were able to order the other 14 cocktails handmade, but TWF selected the 3 most popular to serve as punch, to speed up service for my 50 guests. The batch cocktails degraded over time, later the appearance became murky, gray and very unappealing. I want to be clear that the batch versions of the cocktails are not comparable to the handcrafted, nor are they batch served at the Tasting Room. 4) The bartenders had tip jars out. We were told that the required 25% service fee was to guarantee that they would not accept tips on the night of our event. The bar staff removed their tip jars when asked. 5) One of the bartenders continually made different versions of the cocktails than the other. Some were not drinkable and replaced, which was done promptly when pointed out. I was only aware of a few instances at the event, but on Sunday several of my guests let me know that they had issues with the drinks as well. 6) TWF had event parking for a concert parked in the same lot as our guests, although the contract states that shared parking is only on Detroit Lions game days. This was a problem for getting the wheelchair bound guest out of the building because the event parking staff had parked concert-goers on TWF loading ramp. 7) TWF events staff allowed a factory tour of 20 people to come up to the venue area during our booked time, directly before the ceremony.