Dream Machine is the distillery known for engineering small batch spirits for spirited people. A place to help enrich our community through the shared love of story and spirits.
Why is it that the impossible is often determined by those too scared to go and find out for themselves? Not here, not at Dream Machine. Here, art and engineering collide into the kind of magic that is only possible when hardworking, fool-hearted people get down to business. So drink up, and dream on. Cheers to the next impossible thing.
Please visit us soon to find a welcoming, passionate environment where people can feel comfortable enough to share stories and spirits. A place where we always look for opportunities to educate and enrich lives through hand crafted spirits. We love sharing and learning new things as we are forever students, rigorously testing our ideas and evolving. We hope Dream Machine Distillery can be a catalyst for good times and great stories for you!
FEATURED COCKTAILS
The Catamaran 
DM Sidecar
Technicolor Margarita
What is a Dream?
TERRIFYING/FANTASTIC/INNOVATIVE/RISKY/FOOLISH/MEMORABLE/LIFE CHANGING/HARD TO DESCRIBE/MAGICAL/CRAZY/IMPACTFUL/INSPIRING/EXCITING/GROUNDED IN SCIENCE/ADVENTUROUS/OUT-THERE/WORLD CHANGING
What is a machine?
- Several parts, each with a definite function and together performing a particular task.
- An efficient well organized group of people who work together for a specific purpose.
What is a Dream Machine?
- It lives outside the realm of possibility.
- It dares to ask why not?
- It moves the world.
- It is the story of human innovation
Dream Machine is a place where a group of passionate people work sensibly and rigorously, always with a goal in mind. We are constantly refining our methods and testing our ideas and ANY idea we come up with is fair game as we relish experimentation. Scientific rigor and artistic expression converge and stories and spirits are shared at Dream Machine Distillery.
Much like whiskey warms the belly, kindness warms the heart. We mind our p’s and q’s, and promise to treat you like one of our own. We welcome everyone that walks through our doors with a smile. We’re matter-of-fact, enjoy a good joke, and believe a little elbow grease and humility go a long way.
Dream Machine Distillery and cocktail bar took years of planning and dreaming and a total of 18 months to build out. The iStill system is state of the art and we spent years educating ourselves on distilling. All of our recipes are tested for 12 months before releasing them in bottle and cocktails.
We only serve products we make onsite, and do not bring in any other company’s spirits. For this reason our barrel aged products are currently limited but in a year or so will be plentiful as we’ve filled many barrels already. Strong adherence to parameters of barrel aged products including legal definitions is imperative to our operation.
FAQ
How long have you been open?
We are on our 15th year of crafting beverages and experiences. The distillery is our newest addition, but we’ve been working on it for a couple years. Many months of testing and preparing!
Why don’t you have bourbon?
Federal regulations require whiskies (bourbon) to be aged for not less than 2-years in a new American oak barrel. Our first Rye Whiskey went into a barrel on April 7, 2022.
How long does it take to make a spirit?
It takes us 6 weeks to 2+ years to have a spirit ready and in the bottle. Vodka, Gin, and Liqueur are the quickest to produce versus whiskey, bourbon, agave, rum, and brandy which need to ferment like our beers and wines before they are distilled. As a result, our barrel aged products will release later.
All distilled spirits are clear, why?
All spirits are clear following distillation because the alcohol is evaporated which leaves behind the color molecules. Because of this, only barrel aging or natural fruit and nut extractions add color.
Why do you barrel age or have to barrel age and how long does it take?
Aging spirits in oak barrels adds color and distinct flavors. Flavors can include vanilla, tobacco, graham cracker, and almond. It is also Federally mandated that whiskey (bourbon) age at least 2 years.
How big are your oak barrels?
We have 20 barrels onsite and they are medium-toast American oak. Each is 30 gallons and can produce up to 150 bottles (or 5th).
How many spirits do you have or will have?
We currently have 2 Vodka’s, 3 Gin’s, 3 Rum’s, Brandy, Single Malt Whiskey, Agave Spirit (aka tequila if made in Mexico) and 2 liqueurs: Michigan tart cherry and orange (aka triple sec). We’ve tested and finalized 15+ additional recipes. There are 8 additional products in the barrel and aging now.
Why do you have separate bars located in the taproom? Can I get all of your products there?
The original beer and wine bar at the entrance was not large enough to develop and make fresh ingredient cocktails at so we built a new cocktail making bar. YES, you can order off any menu and it will be brought to you anywhere on the property including the new cocktail bar.
How are you serving your new spirits?
You can order all our small batch spirits as a sample, neat, or on the rocks but we also offer a wide array of mixers made onsite like all of our beverages. We have a great line-up of crafted cocktails that were tested and approved by our team and regular guests over many months. You can also order all spirits with any mixer we offer often referred to as a ‘shot and pop’.
What was your first barrel aged product to release?
Due to needing less time in the barrel both for taste and by law it was our Hearth Brandy. Next up will be our dark Rum then the whiskey and bourbons which require 2 years of aging by law. All barrel aged products at Dream Machine adorn an airplane label representing advancement and complexity.
The original copper pot is old technology and very difficult to clean. Our iStill uses the latest technology and materials to create consistent, repeatable and flavorful spirits.
What is an iStill? Where did the iStill originate?
iStill is the maker of our still based in the Netherlands and founded in 2012. They are the leading distillery manufacturer with over 800 operating distilleries throughout the world. Want more information on this revolutionary technology? Learn all about our gamechanging equipment here: https://istill.com/hybrid
Why does our still look different than “normal” stills?
KEY FEATURES OF THE iSTILL
The still’s Air Pressure Control unit measures current air pressure on a second-to-second basis. If the air pressure changes, the iStill automatically adapts the cut points for heads, hearts, and tails, to secure spirit reproducibility. This allows Dream Machine to make the same product, consistently, batch to batch.
Automated Cuts Management allows our distillers to dial in exactly when to make the heads, hearts and tails cuts that are so crucial to the flavor profile of our products.
The Reflux Capacitor near the top of the column processes reflux one final time, before it exits the column, and re-enters the boiler. In doing so, it boosts total column performance, just by itself, with a whopping 20%. This results in a more stable run, energy savings, and higher production rates.
Dream Machine’s still is equipped with Automated Cleaning and Sanitation features. It uses the last bit of alcohol from the run to sanitize the still post operation and uses the first bit of alcohol of the next run to automatically clean out column, plates, coolers and cuts selector at the beginning of that next run. The benefit? Our distillers spend less time cleaning and more time creating great products.
Imperfect fermentation can result in higher than wished for sulfur counts, copper – as a catalyst – can clean up the contamination. The Copper Foam Technology that is inserted low in the column removes any sulfur contamination without any of the downsides of a completely copper column.
