Exclusive Interview with Mr. Michael Kazanowski, Co-Founder and CEO of High Five Spirits

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What is your full name, title, company name and company location?

My name is Michael Kazanowski, I am the Co-Founder and CEO of High Five Spirits in Petoskey, Michigan.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about High Five Spirits and what inspired you to start your own distillery?

High Five Spirits was a dream my twin brother, Adam and I had a few years back when we were living in Breckenridge Colorado. We were both honestly kind of lost after we graduated from Michigan State and moved out to Breckenridge in hopes of finding ourselves. We got lucky one day when we met a distiller, Paul Dunning from Denver, who opened our eyes to the spirit industry. Paul invited us down to his distillery and we were instantly hooked on the idea of starting our own distillery in our favorite place on earth: Petoskey, Michigan. Easier said then done, we were 2 kids with no money, no experience, but we had a passion to create a distillery that catered to the free-spirited, adventure-seekers like ourselves.

Q: What have been some of the biggest challenges you have faced, on your journey to opening up the distillery?

Two of the biggest challenges we faced were lack of knowledge and funding. When we first had the idea to start our distillery, we thought “oh sure it will be easy to get a bank loan...” turns out it is extremely hard. I didn’t even have credit at the time so we were quickly rejected from every loan we applied for. Looking back now tho, it was these challenges that shaped our company and who we are today. Unwilling to give up on our dream, my brother and I had the idea to sell his car and move into our van and started traveling the country working at music festivals. It was over the next 3 summers working at these festivals that our entire outlook on life shifted. While on the road we met so many people like us with no money or possessions but what they did have was a simple enjoyment for life and all that it offered. It taught us to slow down and enjoy the little things, we didn’t care about making money as much as we cared about spreading love and making memories. Our first ever product is called Gypsy Vodka and it pays homage to our journey and the people we met along the way.

Q: Do you have any advice for someone who is considering opening up their own distillery?

Don’t be deterred by what the “industry professionals” tell you. We were told over and over that we would never be able to successfully make and launch our vodka with the $50k we saved over the 3 years working at music festivals. We were always being compared to other distilleries that have millions of dollars in their budgets, but that led to us being creative and being more hands on. We had no choice but to do everything on our own, the grass-roots way which in my opinion makes what we are doing more special because its our very own creation all the way thru. Follow your heart, follow your passion, and never give up. When you achieve your goal of opening your own distillery shift your attention to sales. You might have the best product in the world, but if you aren’t actively going out and selling it, no one will ever try it.

Q: You are best known for your Gypsy Vodka, but you also have a gin and a rum in your portfolio. What can you tell us about the rum?

Mackinac Island Rum is our newest product in our portfolio, but it is quickly becoming one of my favorites. We have a best friend who was born and raised in the British Virgin Islands and unfortunately lost everything after Hurricane Irma. She moved up to Petoskey to get out of the chaos and that’s when we decided that it would be silly to not use her rum expertise and make our own. But we didn’t just want to make any old rum, we wanted to produce a rum that spoke to the beauty and uniqueness of our home.

We sampled rums from all around the world and finally got lucky and got our hands on an 8 year bourbon barrel aged rum, that was truly out of this world. When we started to play with the rum it had amazing bourbon characteristics, you could taste the oak and char flavors immediately, but we wanted to do more to bring out the taste of Mackinac Island, which is famous for fudge. Instead of dumping boat loads of sugar to sweeten our rum, we developed a blend of chocolate fudge that we get from Murdicks on Mackinac Island, cinnamon, and nutmeg which makes Mackinac Island Rum the perfect sipping rum for rum and bourbon drinkers alike.

Q: Historically speaking, rum has been the spirit of choice for sailors and adventurers. Your brand and ideology cater to free-spirited explorers, isn’t this a match made in heaven?

It really is a match made in heaven. Growing up on the Great Lakes has given us the opportunity to get out and explore the natural beauty of our great state and Mackinac Island Rum pays homage to that. In fact on every bottle it says, “At the crossroads of the Great Lakes is a refuge for all sailors seeking shelter from the bustle & grind of nautical life.” It’s a place to pause, to reflect, and to raise a glass with those we love most.

Our handcrafted Great Lakes style rum, finished with Mackinac Island Fudge, is a warm greeting and a friendly postcard from Mackinac Island, a sailors’ true paradise.

Q: Do you have signature rum cocktails? If yes, which one is the most popular?

Yes, and it has quickly become one of our most popular cocktails. We have been making a rum style old fashion that we call a Hemingway’s Old Fashion. Ernest Hemingway spent his summers in Petoskey and actually wrote one of his books in our current building, so we felt the need to pay respect to him with this cocktail. We smoke a rocks glass over a cedar plank to give the old fashion more bourbon characteristics, then we muddle a fresh orange with simple syrup and bitters into our rum and garnish with a roasted orange peel and a piece of chocolate fudge.

Q: Where are your products available for purchase?

We are currently only selling our rum and gin in Michigan but have been approached by distributors in Colorado, Illinois, Florida and Ohio. Our vodka is currently sold in Colorado, Michigan, and soon to be British Columbia (fingers crossed!). So please be on the look out for our delicious, one of a kind spirits to come to a bar or store near you!

Q: Do you also distill or plan to offer other spirits in addition to rum, gin and vodka?

We love to play around and experiment in our distillery, so we are constantly trying to come up with new products. We released an Apple Pie Vodka this winter, which quickly became our top seller out of our tasting room over the holidays. It is truly unique and unlike anything else available on the market. We plan on releasing a bourbon barrel aged gin, that we call Fossilized Gin, next month. We pulled the first few barrels out and tasted the final product for the first time this month and we were extremely pleased with how it turned out. We are also in the final stages of launching our canned cocktail line which will include a summer punch and 2 low-calorie, super clean cocktails like a Moscow mule and gin and juice.

Q: Do you offer tours of your distillery?

We love to show people what we do, if you are ever in the area and would like to stop by please just ask or come say hi at our tasting room.

Q: If people want to contact you, how may they reach you?

The best way to reach me is via email at vodkatwins@highfivespirits.com

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

I just wanted to say thank you so much for the opportunity to share my story and experience in the alcohol world. My brother and I did not have the most normal entry into this industry, but I think that is why we love it so much. We started in the back of a van at music festivals and now have a distillery in our dream location, I think it just shows you that if 2 young hippies can make it in this industry anyone can.

There will always be people telling you along the way that you won’t make it, use that as fuel to follow your passion, work hard, chase your dreams, and never be discouraged.

Margaret: thank you again Mike, I wish you and your team much success!