A CLOSER LOOK
3 Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Tuesday, May 2, 2017 Kayla Wolf for Shaw Media
Wondertucky Distillery & Bottling Inc. tour guide Jim Cerney (left) and participant Bob Sehlereth (center) along with other tour participants raise small samples of whiskey from the still for a toast Saturday.
DISTILLERY PLANS TO EXPAND Owner of Wondertucky in Woodstock hopes to add music, restaurant By JORDYN REILAND
jreiland@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Nearly four years after McHenry County welcomed its first microdistillery, owner David Cunningham has big plans to expand the growing business. The Wauconda resident opened Wondertucky Distillery & Bottling Inc., at 35 E. South St., Woodstock, in August 2013. Cunningham got a craft distiller license from the state and passed all city inspections in early 2015, then he began making whiskey. Cunningham, along with his assis-
tant Jessica Zuba, offers homemade clear corn whiskey and bourbon, along with seasonal concoctions such as fruit, vanilla, coffee and spicy veggie and herb infused whiskeys, only available at the distillery. All products are made by hand in the Woodstock location and each batch can take about a week to complete. “We’re always trying new things and experimenting here,” Zuba said. “You get to try things you couldn’t try anywhere else.” Cunningham’s products are on the shelves of more than 200 stores, from bars and restaurants to Jewel
Osco and Binny’s. The price of the products range from about $12.99 for a 12.6-ounce bottle of 80-proof corn whiskey to $34.99 for a 25.3-ounce bottle of 80-proof bourbon. Wondertucky added a tasting room in December. The space allows customers to sample some of the products, tour the building and learn more about the process. The tasting room is open from 1 to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Cunningham also is looking to open a larger location in Woodstock that would include live music, a restaurant, the distillery and the
tasting room. He said he is interested in staying in the area because of the overwhelmingly positive reception from city officials and community members. “Woodstock is a charming, quaint, easy to work with town,” Cunningham said. “They are very happy to have us here.” Wondertucky Distillery has as many as 30 to 60 people come through the doors on the weekend for tours, events and drinking. Cunningham said he has had customers visit from
See DISTILLERY, page A10