FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 09 OF 80
JOURNEYMAN DISTILLERY , Michigan, USA
AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,
PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE
Today's stop on the Atlas takes me to the small village of Three Oaks in southwest Michigan, where one of the state's most distinctive distilleries has breathed new life into an extraordinary piece of industrial history.
I actually discovered this little gem during a trip to the Amalfi Coast a few years ago, and it's another reminder that you never know where a bottle will lead you.
Journeyman Distillery occupies the beautifully restored Featherbone Factory, built in 1883 by entrepreneur E.K. Warren. His invention of featherbone — a flexible substitute for whalebone used in corsets — revolutionised Victorian fashion and transformed Three Oaks into an important centre for corset manufacturing.
The distillery's name has a story of its own. Founder
Bill Welter developed a passion for golf before earning a scholarship that eventually took him to
St Andrews in Scotland. There he met Australian bartender and whisky enthusiast
Greg Ramsay, whose own journey into distilling inspired the pair to pursue their shared passion for craft spirits. The name Journeyman reflects the idea of continually learning, refining skills and mastering a craft.
Today's bottle is Bilberry Black Hearts Gin, a name inspired by the old dialect word blackhearts for bilberries, famously used by Thomas Hardy in The Return of the Native.
If you've followed my gin adventures for a while, you'll know I have a bit of a weakness for gins featuring berries, particularly bilberries and blueberries, so this one was always going to find a place in my collection.
Journeyman produces its spirits using organic Midwestern grain and untreated water drawn from an underground aquifer. Alongside its award-winning range of gin, whisky, rum and other spirits, the distillery has become a destination in its own right, with a restaurant, tasting room and even a putting green — a subtle nod to the golfing roots that helped inspire the business.
Another wonderful stop on the Atlas, proving that sometimes the most fascinating stories begin in the most unexpected places.
“From corsets to cocktails — history is woven into every bottle”
My serve is a classic gimlet with Rose's lime cordial but why not try this recipe too!
BLUEBERRY GIMLET
2 oz. Bilberry Black Hearts Gin
1/2 oz. Fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. Fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. Simple syrup
Fresh blueberry pick for garnish
Shake all ingredients well with ice and strain
into an ice-filled rocks glass.
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."