Valentine Invests in Custom Italian Still to Expand Production Capacity

Liquor Brand Focused on American Ingenuity and Quality Manufacturing Hosts Ribbon Cutting & Open House on March 22 to Celebrate Announcement

Ferndale, MI – It’s time to mix up a cocktail and offer a toast to one of the country’s first micro-distilleries, Valentine Distilling Co. The 10-year milestone has been completed by Valentine and to celebrate the local distiller is investing $1 million in its production operation to fulfill customer demand.

Founded by Rifino Valentine, Valentine Distilling Co. has seen exponential growth since opening its doors more than 10 years ago. With a constant demand for the ever-growing list of award-winning spirits, an expansion of the production facility has become a necessity. The investment to make such an expansion happen: $1 million.

The expansion begins with the introduction of Sherbert. No, not the sweet treat. A new custom-made, 1,500-gallon still imported from Italian distillation company, Frilli. Named after Valentine Distilling Co.’s resident distillery dog, this still will have the capacity to produce 1,000 barrels of whiskey each year for the award-winning micro-distillery.

“We wanted to build the best still to maintain the quality of our products. Frilli has been building distillation equipment since 1912 and has a phenomenal track record and experience in triple pot distillation, and that’s just what we need to keep up with the demand of Valentine spirits,” said Rifino Valentine, founder and owner of Valentine Distilling Co.

This is the first still Frilli has ever shipped to America, and Sherbert is one of the largest stills being placed in a micro-distillery in the United States.

“We are honored to build this still for Valentine. We are excited to ship to the U.S. for the first time. The creation of this still will allow Valentine to continue to produce even more of their exceptional products,” said Frilli representative Simone Martini.

The whiskey being distilled with Sherbert will be ready to bottle in 2023. So, although the whiskey connoisseurs out there won’t be able to taste this whiskey today, the wait is sure to be worth it.

In 2016, Valentine Distilling Co.’s production relocated and expanded from the Cocktail Lounge location in Ferndale to a 15,000-square foot warehouse down the street from the Lounge. The warehouse is lined with state-of-the-art copper stills and whiskey barrels from floor to ceiling. Since beginning this custom still build with Frilli, Valentine also made the decision to expand once again in the current warehouse facility to add an additional 5,000 square feet for a rick house to store the aging barrels once the product leaves the still.