New Eastern Kille Distillery Location Exceeds Owners’ Expectations

Rockford, Michigan-based Eastern Kille Distillery quietly opened its new $4.2 million distillery, cocktail bar and restaurant late in December to ensure its staff and the space was ready to operate. In the weeks following that soft opening the distillery has been overwhelmed with support from the community in West Michigan.

“We’ve had over 6000 people through our doors in less than 30 days. We’ve already expanded our days and hours to meet demand,” said co-owner Steve Vander Pol. “We are grateful to our loyal customers from Grand Rapids along with new local customers that have come out to support us since moving to Rockford.”

The new facility includes 8,000 square feet of distillery space, 4,000 square feet of restaurant space and sits on 16 acres of field and forest adjacent to the White Pine Trail, a 92-mile walking, biking, snowmobiling and cross country skiing destination.

Local architect, Mathison | Mathison Architects designed the space with high ceilings for functionality, creating more storage space in production, and to offer an expansive view of the natural setting through a glass curtain wall for customers.