IFWTWA Conference Media Trip
1-Hour Great Lakes Distillery Tour
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM, SATURDAY, October 17, 2026
Make your way approximately 3 minutes by car (approximately a 30-minute walk, but it is not a recommended walk) from the conference hotel to Great Lakes Distillery, Wisconsin’s original craft distillery, for an award-winning guided distillery tour and tasting experience.
NOTE: THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE TRANSPORTATION OR ACCOMMODATIONS. You may pair this experience with other free or reduced-price offerings provided courtesy of Visit Milwaukee (details coming soon) to create a memorable pre-conference stay.
Tour Description
Discover the story behind Wisconsin’s first distillery to open since Prohibition during this approximately one-hour guided tour. Voted Best Spirits/Wine Tour by OnMilwaukee and Shepherd Express readers for multiple years, the experience takes visitors behind the scenes to learn about the distillation process, Great Lakes Distillery’s handcrafted approach to spirits, and the history of Wisconsin’s craft distilling industry.
The tour concludes with a guided tasting flight featuring six award-winning spirits. Guests are also welcome to purchase a cocktail before, during, or after the tour and browse the distillery’s retail shop for spirits, glassware, apparel, and other souvenirs.
What Great Lakes Distillery Seeks from Media Participants
- This one-hour tour is open for up to 25 writers
- Tour begins promptly at 2:30 PM; writers should arrive 15 minutes early
- Writers can arrive early if they wish to order a cocktail before the tour (at their own expense; identify yourself with IFWTWA)
- Writers will complete one article and/or video (depending on your expertise/media outlet)
- Writers will provide at least one social media post
- Writers must provide their own transportation
- Participants must be at least 21 years of age
Tour Includes:
- A guided behind-the-scenes tour of Wisconsin’s original craft distillery
- An overview of the distillation process and Great Lakes Distillery’s history
- Insights into the production of award-winning small-batch spirits
- A guided tasting flight of six award-winning spirits
- Time to browse the tasting room and retail shop following the tour
