Two James Spirits

What Two James Spirits does

Two James Spirits is a craft distillery headquartered at 2445 Michigan Avenue in Corktown, Detroit, Michigan, operating as Two James Spirits LLC. Founded by David Landrum — a former sommelier and mixologist with 14 years in the food and wine industry — the company is positioned as Detroit's first licensed distillery since Prohibition, producing a portfolio of approximately 17 handcrafted spirits across whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, absinthe, and coffee liqueur categories. Production is grain-to-bottle using locally sourced rye and corn from Wing Farms in Dexter, MI, and employs distinctive finishing techniques including new American oak, Moscatel, French brandy, Madeira, and vermouth casks. The 100% rye mash bill (no barley), high-ester Jamaican rum blends finished in Detroit, and barrel-rested gin are notable technical differentiators documented on the company website.

The company's commercial model blends direct-to-consumer and B2B channels. DTC revenue is generated through two company-owned tasting rooms (Detroit and Grand Rapids, the latter operated inside 7 Monks Taproom), an online store for bottles and merchandise, and experiential services including $35/person distillery tours (maximum 20 attendees, weekend afternoons), cocktail classes, on-site tastings, bar takeovers, and a Private Barrel Experience for personalized rye, bourbon, or rum barrels targeting weddings and corporate events. B2B distribution runs through Woods Wholesale Wine (and references Beverage Warehouse MI) to Michigan restaurants, bars, and retailers. Industry Night promotions (20% off Detroit, 50% off Grand Rapids) drive trade-customer engagement. The company is privately held, founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional funding, subsidiaries, or M&A activity, and is classified as 11-50 employees.

Name

Two James Spirits

Legal name

Two James Spirits LLC

Website

https://twojames.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Two James Spirits is a privately held craft distillery in Detroit, Michigan — Detroit's first licensed distillery since Prohibition — producing handcrafted whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, absinthe, and liqueurs from locally sourced Michigan grain for DTC tasting-room visitors, experiential event customers, and Michigan wholesale buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Distilled Spirits

NAICS

Distilleries (31214), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG), Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF)

Keywords

• Craft distillery spirits
• Handcrafted whiskey gin
• Grain-to-bottle production
• Tasting room experiences
• Private barrel program

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Bottle Sales: Direct sales of handcrafted spirits including whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, absinthe, and coffee liqueur through tasting rooms and online. Products include Catcher's Rye, J. Riddle Peated Bourbon, Johnny Smoking Gun, Grass Widow Bourbon, Blackthorn Bourbon, Old Cockney Gin, Gail Force Citrus Gin, 28 Island Vodka, Doctor Bird Jamaican Rum, Nain Rouge Absinthe, and Coffee Liqueur.
2. Tasting Room Operations: Two tasting room locations offering tasting flights, craft cocktails made with in-house spirits, and bottle/case sales to go. Detroit location in Corktown, Grand Rapids location inside 7 Monks Taproom.
3. Distillery Tours: $35 per person tours offered Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons with tastings of limited selection of spirits. Maximum 20 people per tour.
4. Private Barrel Experience: Premium personalized experience allowing customers to create custom barrels of spirits (Rye, Bourbon, or Rum) with input on taste, age, blend, and labeling. Targeted for weddings, corporate events, and milestones.
5. Merchandise: Branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, long sleeve tees), accessories (totes, flasks, Glencairn glasses), and branded merchandise featuring spirit names like Catcher’s Rye and Doctor Bird.
6. Wholesale Distribution: B2B wholesale distribution to restaurants, bars, and retailers through distribution partners like Woods Wholesale Wine.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Two James Spirits is a craft distillery that produces handcrafted whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, absinthe, and coffee liqueur grain-to-bottle in Corktown, Detroit, using locally sourced Michigan rye and corn. The company sells its spirits through two company-owned tasting rooms (Detroit and Grand Rapids), an online store, and wholesale distribution, and generates additional revenue from distillery tours, a Private Barrel Experience, cocktail classes, and branded merchandise.

Product overview

Two James Spirits is a craft distillery portfolio producing handcrafted spirits grain-to-bottle in Corktown, Detroit, Michigan. The core product line spans whiskey expressions (Catcher’s Rye Whiskey and its 6-Year and Vermouth Finish variants, The French Connection, J. Riddle Peated Bourbon, Johnny Smoking Gun, Grass Widow Bourbon, and Blackthorn Bourbon), gin and vodka offerings (Old Cockney Gin, Old Cockney Barrel Reserve Gin, Gail Force Citrus Gin, 28 Island Vodka), rum products (Doctor Bird Jamaican Rum and its Pineapple and Coco Atoll flavored variants), and specialty spirits (Nain Rouge Absinthe and Coffee Liqueur). The portfolio is complemented by experiential services including distillery tours, tasting rooms in Detroit and Grand Rapids, the Private Barrel Experience for personalized spirits, cocktail classes, and on-site/off-site event hosting. The company sources rye and corn from Wing Farms in Dexter, MI, and stores barrels at the Rickhouse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catcher's Rye Whiskey 100% Michigan Rye whiskey distilled from pure Great Lakes water, aged minimum 4 years in New American Oak barrels at 98.8 proof. Designed for craft spirits enthusiasts seeking distinctive rye with notes of dried oranges, pecan, clove, potpourri, nutmeg, and rose petal.
• Catcher Rye Whiskey 6 Year Award-winning 100% Michigan Rye whiskey aged 6 years in 53-gallon New American Oak barrels. Sold to whiskey enthusiasts seeking a longer-aged expression of the flagship rye with notes of dried oranges, pecan, clove, potpourri, nutmeg, and rose petal.
• Catcher's Rye Vermouth Finish Catcher's Rye whiskey finished for 6 months in Sweet Vermouth casks, producing a distinctive flavor profile with notes of Dr. Pepper, golden raisins, Olorosso Sherry, black pepper, peppermint, cherry, blueberry, ported figs, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, and cola. Gold Medal winner 2022 San Francisco World Spirit Competition.
• The French Connection 100% Michigan Rye whiskey aged 6 months in French Brandy casks, producing candied fruit, tobacco, and citrus notes for craft whiskey enthusiasts and whiskey collectors.
• J. Riddle Peated Bourbon Bourbon named after local legend James Riddle Hoffa, blending 79% Michigan Corn with 21% peated UK Barley and aged 3-5 years in New American Oak. Targets craft whiskey enthusiasts seeking a bourbon that fuses American sweet corn with Islay-style medicinal peatiness.
• Johnny Smoking Gun Blended whiskey crafted to complement umami flavors of Japanese cuisine, with smoke character from a two-stage maceration and proofed down with Japanese tea at 87 proof. Targeted at enthusiasts pairing spirits with Japanese food.
• Grass Widow Bourbon Pre-prohibition Detroit brand homage bourbon with a high-rye mash bill finished in Madeira casks for 6 months, marketed as a wine drinker's bourbon. Targets bourbon enthusiasts and Detroit heritage buyers.
• Blackthorn Bourbon Handcrafted 5-year bourbon inspired by family legend, smooth and full-bodied with notes of caramel, toasted spice, and stone fruit finish. Aged minimum 5 years in New American Oak and targeted at bourbon enthusiasts seeking longer-aged craft options.
• Old Cockney Gin Botanically forward London dry style gin crafted from a 70% corn and 30% organic winter wheat base, bottled at 82 proof. Targeted at gin enthusiasts seeking distinctive botanicals such as black pepper, dried lemon peel, bergamot, star anise, and matcha.
• Old Cockney Barrel Reserve Gin Old Cockney Gin rested in new American oak barrels for a minimum 6 months, marketed as a whiskey drinker's gin with subtle toasted vanilla and citrus peel accents at 91 proof. Targets gin and whiskey crossover enthusiasts.
• Gail Force Citrus Gin Elegant, lively citrus-forward gin made from 100% corn and bottled at 80 proof. Designed for gin enthusiasts who prefer natural citrus flavors with notes of blue spruce, white pepper, lemon peel, mountain air, white flowers, juniper, and bergamot.
• 28 Island Vodka 100% organic winter wheat vodka paying homage to the 28 islands once located in the Detroit River where bootleggers smuggled alcohol during Prohibition. Sold to vodka consumers seeking a smooth, buttery spirit with hints of vanilla and subtle spice.
• Doctor Bird Jamaican Rum Award-winning high-ester Jamaican pot-stilled rum blended from multiple Jamaican rums and finished in Moscatel Cask in Detroit. Targets rum enthusiasts seeking complex tropical and funky flavor profiles; Double Gold winner at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
• Pineapple Doctor Bird Rum

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Wing FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural supplier providing locally sourced rye and corn from Dexter, MI (near Ann Arbor). Critical supply chain partner enabling the company’s commitment to Michigan-sourced ingredients and grain-to-bottle production philosophy.
• 7 Monks TaproomcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost venue for Grand Rapids tasting room, located at 740 Michigan St NE Suite 100A in Midtown Grand Rapids. Provides retail space for Two James Spirits tasting room operations and craft cocktail service.
• SuperGeilcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRestaurant partner at Detroit location (2445 Michigan Ave) where distillery tours are conducted. Tour groups meet at Two James Spirits and move to SuperGeil for history presentations, spirit sampling, and marketplace access.
• Woods Wholesale WinemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale distribution partner for Two James Spirits products. Manages distribution of bottles to retail and hospitality establishments throughout Michigan.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Journeyman Distillery: Michigan craft distillery in Three Oaks producing whiskey, gin, vodka, and rum with a full restaurant and tasting room. Comparable in product mix, tasting-room-led GTM, and Midwest craft spirits positioning.
• FEW Spirits: Evanston, Illinois craft distillery producing whiskey, gin, and bitters with an on-site tasting room. Comparable as a Midwest craft distiller with a multi-category spirits portfolio and DTC tasting room GTM.
• Valentine Distilling: Michigan craft distillery producing bourbon, gin, vodka, and liqueurs with a tasting room in Ferndale, MI. Comparable as a Michigan-based craft spirits producer operating a DTC tasting room model.
• Watershed Distillery: Columbus, Ohio craft distillery producing bourbon, gin, vodka, and specialty spirits with a tasting room and restaurant. Comparable Midwest craft distiller with multi-channel DTC and wholesale distribution.
• Coppercraft Distillery: Michigan craft distillery producing bourbon, rye, gin, and vodka with a tasting room and restaurant in Kalamazoo/Detroit. Directly comparable as a Michigan craft distiller with DTC tasting rooms.
• Detroit City Distillery: Detroit-based craft distillery producing grain-to-bottle whiskey, gin, and rum with an on-site tasting room and restaurant. Directly comparable as a Detroit craft distillery competing for the same local DTC and on-premise customers.

Emerging players

• Koval Distillery: Chicago-based craft distillery producing whiskey, gin, vodka, and liqueurs using local grain with a tasting room. Comparable as a Midwest craft distiller emphasizing grain-to-bottle production and tasting room DTC.

Broad incumbents

• Tito's Handmade Vodka: Large-scale Texas-based craft vodka producer that grew from a single-state distillery to national distribution. Relevant as a benchmark for craft distillery scaling pathways and a broad incumbent in the craft spirits category.

Regional players

• New Holland Brewing / Artisan Spirits: Michigan-based brewery and distillery producing spirits alongside beer, with tasting rooms. Comparable as a Michigan craft beverage producer with overlapping tasting-room and spirits wholesale operations.

Others

• Beverage Warehouse: Michigan alcohol retail partner that hosts Two James Spirits' e-commerce shop link. Relevant as a Michigan off-premise retail channel and ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/twojamesgrandrapids
• Instagraminstagram.com/twojames/?hl=en
• Xx.com/TwoJamesSpirits
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/winetech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Two James Spirits