Thank you for considering hosting your event at The Barn at Iron Fish Distillery.
Our beautifully restored Barn is nestled on a 119 acre working farm where we group the grain to create our premium artisan spirits. The barn sits adjacent to our state of the art distillery and tasting room. With a backdrop of a gorgeous 45 acre maple forest, all of these amenities come together to create a breathtaking rural environment, a one of a kind place to celebrate life’s most important moments.
The farm and distillery are located in Thompsonville, about one mile from Crystal Mountain Resort. Iron Fish is Michigan’s first dedicated field–to-glass farm distillery and produces a full line of premium quality spirits. We distill small batch spirits from grains farmed on our fields and sourced from partner farms. Wherever possible, every step of production from growing and harvesting, to milling, mashing, fermenting, and distilling are done by hand at our distillery.
The Betsie River scenic watershed provides a sense of place for our farm settled by George Chamberlain in 1887. George developed the property into a diversified farm and passed it on to his son Victor who ran it until his death in the late 1990’s. The farm, barn and fields remained abandoned until 2013.
The Barn is the original structure used by George and Victor, and has been fully refurbished to accommodate events, parties and weddings. It features ground level access to the primary events space for dinner with space enough for dancing, musicians and displays. An outdoor ceremony space has been carved out of a mature stand of maple trees and includes seating for up to 200 people.
Barn and Courtyard are Seasonal Rentals (Not available Nov-April)
Take a few moments to review the information below, and contact events@ironfishdistillery.com for more information or to schedule your site tour!
Can I come tour the venues onsite?
Yes, we are happy to schedule an appointment for you to come take a look!
What about heat if it’s cold outside?
If you are concerned about the weather and wish to have heaters, we have heaters available to rent.
Is there an extra fee for using the ceremony site?
No, the ceremony space is included in The Barn rental.
Can we use our own caterer?
Yes, you can choose a caterer of your choice; your IFD Event Coordinator will provide a preferred vendor list for your planning convenience.
What are the caterer’s responsibilities? PDF of Caterer’s Responsibilities
Can we “Potluck” the reception?
Of course! You would just need to coordinate all the aspects of food and beverage service that a caterer would provide including responsibility for food safety. This also would include complete clean up the night of the reception.
Are there any restrictions on use?
• There can be no use of candles, fireworks, open flames, or smoking in and around the
barn for the safety of everyone.
• No pets are allowed and no camping is available on site.
• No nails, tacks, or other sharp objects can be used in decorating the barn.
• The only adhesive material allowed on the walls/pillars is drafting/painting/masking
tape which will not damage surfaces. No duct tape, electrical tape, transparent tape or
double stick tape are permitted.
• No glitter, confetti or rice may be used on the property. Birdseed, flower petals are
permitted in outside areas.
What is the alcohol policy?
You are welcome to have alcohol at your celebration with a couple of requirements.
• All spirits that you wish to serve must be from Iron Fish Distillery. Beer and wine can be brought in and purchased through whatever means you choose.
• Iron Fish Distillery will provide TIPS Certified Bartenders for events, no outside bartending services allowed.
• Last call will occur no later than 9:45pm.
Does every event need a bartender?
Yes!
What is the maximum guest count for The Barn: We can seat up to 150 guests comfortably at the same time. You are more than welcome to rent a tent and set it up adjacent to The Barn – this can allow for up to 200 guests total. Please refer to our Preferred Vendor List for rental companies.
What access to the barn do we have for setting up?
Set up starts at 9:00 am the morning of the reception.
When do we have to be out of the barn?
Music should stop by 10:30pm and guests must leave by 11:00 pm. All clean up and removal of personal items must be completed by 9:00 AM the morning after the celebration.
Is anyone from The Barn at Iron Fish Distillery staffing the event?
Yes, your IFD Event Coordinator will be on-site to assist with any venue and vendor related questions.
What packages do you offer for The Barn and what is included in the rental?
Please refer to the information tabs above.
Our goal is to provide you with a wonderfully-coordinated event at a beautiful barn venue on a working farm, and to make your celebration a day to truly remember! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make this day special!
The Barn Rental includes:
Congratulations! Having a special celebration at our historic barn venue will create an unforgettable memory for you and your guests. We would love to help build those memories! There are a few things to think about and some contacts for you or your wedding planner to make. Some important ones come to mind…
Caterer
You will need to hire a caterer to prepare food for your guests. We have a list of preferred caterers we are pleased to share with you.
Bathrooms
You are not required to purchase additional restrooms. The Barn does not have in-unit restrooms.
We provide two handicapped accessible, heated, restrooms located a short distance from the Barn in our Rickhouse. As well as, two outdoor portable restroom units.
You are more than welcome to arrange for additional restrooms. We have a list of preferred vendors that we are pleased to share with you.
Tent
If your celebration planning includes a tent we have plenty of space. We will work with our tent vendors to coordinate the size/configuration of tent that will work for your event.
Insurance
An insurance rider is required with your rental of The Barn. Please contact your IFD Event Coordinator with questions regarding your rider.
Farmhouse Rental
Located on the same farm property as our barn is the original farmhouse that has been beautifully renovated.
This 3 bedroom, 2 bath home sleeps 6 very comfortably, and offers great indoor and outdoor spaces for relaxing, with a living room on both the first and second floors, a fully equipped kitchen and great dining space as well as a back patio and classic front porch.
If you are interested in seeing whether this could accommodate you or your guests during the time you will be holding your event at The Barn at Iron Fish Distillery, details can be found here.
Contact events@ironfishdistillery.com for our current packages for The Barn.
Barn and Courtyard are Seasonal Rentals (Not available Nov-April)
Barn Reserved 2025:
Please contact events@ironfishdistillery.com to inquire about availability.
We would love to hear from you regarding your event at Iron Fish! Please leave us a review on Wedding Wire!
– Thank you
14234 DZUIBANEK ROAD
THOMPSONVILLE, MI 49683
231.378.3474
INFO@IRONFISHDISTILLERY.COM
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We’re very dog friendly in the summer & family friendly year round!
