I know I can't see you, but raise your glass...I mean your hand, if one of things you love doing in the summer time is taking road trips to places like Galena, Harvard or Monroe, Wisconsin, to visit some of the areas best distilleries.  My hand is raised too.

Summer road trips to enjoy some of the things we don't have here in Rockford are the best; but unless you have plans to spend the night, you can't always enjoy the experience as much as you'd like to because you know how important it is to drink responsibly.

One Rockford couple is about to change all of that.

According to WREX, after moving around for their airline careers for the last 8 years, Tim and Addie Ford decided it was time to move back to Rockford; bringing the idea to open a distillery in the Forest City with them.

Addie told WREX, "This is a category that Rockford is missing; we don't have anything like this within 45 minutes of Rockford."

The Ford's plan is to open Grant View Distillery near RFD with sales of their spirits to begin around Christmas and the tasting room and actuall distillery to be open to the public next summer.

Tours will include information on the distilling process and you'll also get to see all of the ingredients that go into your drink, including the grapes and apples.

Unfortunately, due to concerns from residents in the area, the one thing Grant View Distillery will be missing is an outdoor pavilion.

That's OK, though, we're just happy to have you here Rockford.

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