Blanton's Single Barrel $30
The original single-barrel bourbon, hand-selected from Warehouse H. The horse-and-jockey stopper you can't find on a store shelf anywhere in Northern Michigan.
Thompsonville, Michigan
Allocated Bourbon in Northern Michigan
Blanton's. Eagle Rare 10. Elmer T. Lee. Weller. Stagg Barrel Proof. E.H. Taylor. Forty bourbons by the 2 oz pour at a small-town bar on M-115 — five minutes from Crystal Mountain, under an hour from Traverse City, Cadillac and Manistee.
The bottles you can't find
The Allocated Shelf
Most of these bottles never make it to a store shelf in Benzie, Manistee, Wexford or Grand Traverse County — and when they do, they're gone the same morning. The 231 keeps them open behind the bar and pours them by the glass, so you can taste a Blanton's or a Stagg without hunting for a bottle.
Prices are per 2 oz pour. Allocated bottles are subject to availability — call ahead if you're driving in for one in particular.
Eagle Rare 10 Year $20
Ten-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon — allocated, rarely seen, and poured here by the glass.
Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel $48
Named for the master distiller who created Blanton's. One of the hardest Buffalo Trace bottles to find in Michigan.
Weller $20
Buffalo Trace's wheated bourbon — the same wheated recipe family as Pappy Van Winkle, at a fraction of the price.
Stagg Barrel Proof $45
Big, bold and barrel-strength. The pour serious bourbon drinkers ask for first.
E.H. Taylor Single Barrel $28
Colonel Taylor's single-barrel bottling — allocated and tough to find anywhere in the state.
Buffalo Trace $10
The flagship Kentucky straight bourbon, allocated in Michigan and always on our shelf.
Russell's Reserve $13
Jimmy and Eddie Russell's personal pick — rich, oaky and under-appreciated.
Michter's Small Batch $8
A Louisville favorite that disappears from Michigan shelves as fast as it lands.
Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select $25
Aged in special 'Sinatra barrels' with deep-grooved staves for extra oak. A rare pour outside Lynchburg.
Doc Holliday 7 Year $20
Limited-release, seven-year straight bourbon — a bottle most bars never see.
New Riff Single Barrel $10
Single-barrel, barrel-proof bourbon from one of Kentucky's best new distilleries.
Barrell Bourbon $11
Cask-strength blended batches, every one different. Ask which batch is open.
Old Forester 1920 $9
Part of the Whiskey Row series — a 115-proof throwback that punches above its price.
Penelope Rosé $9
Four-grain bourbon finished in rosé wine casks. Something you won't find at the next bar down M-115.
Made up the road
Michigan-Made Whiskey
Northern Michigan has become real whiskey country. Iron Fish distills right here in Thompsonville, and Traverse City is twenty-five miles up M-115.
Iron Fish Maple $7
Maple-finished bourbon from the farm distillery a few miles from our door.
Grand Traverse Distillery $6
Northern Michigan-made whiskey from one of the region's original craft distillers.
Traverse City Whiskey $6
Straight bourbon from Traverse City — also the base of our Local Old Fashioned.
Traverse City Cherry Whiskey $6
Bourbon infused with Northern Michigan cherries.
Detroit City $8
Small-batch bourbon from Detroit's Eastern Market.
Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel $8
Bourbon aged in barrels that held New Holland's Dragon's Milk stout.
Every bottle on the shelf
The Full Whiskey List
Neat or on the rocks · 2 oz pour
Bourbon & American Whiskey
Angel's Envy $9
Blade & Bow $9
Basil Hayden $8
Barrell $11
Blanton's $30
Buffalo Trace $10
Bulleit $6
Crown Royal $6
Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel $8
Detroit City $8
Doc Holliday 7 yr $20
Eagle Rare 10 yr $20
Elijah Craig $7
Elmer T. Lee $48
Four Roses $6
Fox River $13
Grand Traverse Distillery $6
Iron Fish Maple $7
Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select $25
Knob Creek $8
Knob Creek Smoked Maple $8
Maker's Mark $6
Maker's 46 $7
Michter's Small Batch $8
New Riff Single Barrel $10
Old Elk $10
Old Forester 1920 $9
Penelope Rosé $9
Russell's Reserve $13
Stagg Barrel Proof $45
E.H. Taylor Single Barrel $28
Traverse City Whiskey $6
Traverse City Cherry Whiskey $6
Traveller $6
Weller $20
Westward $11
Woodford Reserve $7
Wild Turkey 101 $7
1792 Small Batch $7
Rye
Bulleit Rye $7
Jack Daniel's Barrel Proof Rye $12
Walley Run 10 yr $9
We also pour featured Scotches — Johnnie Walker Red, Black and Blue, Buchanan's, Glenmorangie, Oban and Lagavulin. See the full bar menu.
Worth the drive
A Bourbon Bar Near Crystal Mountain
The 231 sits on M-115 (Cadillac Highway) at Vondra Road in Thompsonville, between Thompsonville and Copemish — the first stop coming off the slopes at Crystal Mountain and an easy run from anywhere in Benzie, Manistee, Wexford or Grand Traverse County.
Pair a pour with a half-pound hand-pattied burger or slow-cooked brisket, catch the game, and stay for live music on the weekend. Open seven days a week from noon.
Get Directions- Crystal Mountainabout 5 min
- Mesickabout 15 min
- Beulah & Benzoniaabout 20 min
- Frankfortabout 25 min
- Interlochenabout 25 min
- Kingsleyabout 30 min
- Cadillacabout 35 min
- Manisteeabout 40 min
- Traverse Cityabout 45 min
Questions
Bourbon FAQ
Do you really have Blanton's, Eagle Rare and Weller by the pour?
Yes. The 231 keeps an allocated bourbon shelf most small-town bars can't — Blanton's, Eagle Rare 10 Year, Elmer T. Lee, Weller, Stagg Barrel Proof, E.H. Taylor Single Barrel and Buffalo Trace — all poured by the 2 oz, neat or on the rocks.
How much is a pour?
Every whiskey on the list is a 2 oz pour. Allocated bottles run from $10 for Buffalo Trace to $48 for Elmer T. Lee; most of the shelf is $6–$13.
Is every bottle always available?
Allocated bourbon comes and goes — when a bottle is gone, it's gone until the next allocation. If you're driving in for a specific pour, call 231-378-0231 and we'll tell you what's open.
Where is The 231?
17170 Vondra Rd, Thompsonville, MI 49683 — on M-115 (Cadillac Highway) at Vondra Road, five minutes from Crystal Mountain and under an hour from Traverse City, Cadillac and Manistee. Open seven days a week from noon.