
February 3, 2025
WAUPACA – Dubbed with a name that Co-owners Tim Drake and Shane Grosskreutz said carries the essence of their passion and craft, Empty Barrel Distillery is the culmination of years of planning, hard work and determination.
“An empty barrel is more than just a vessel – it’s a vital part of our story,” Grosskreutz said. “It symbolizes the journey, the transformation and the excitement of discovery.”
The co-owners said the soon-to-be distillery nestled in downtown Waupaca (219 N. Main St.) is on a mission to revive history with its small-batch, handcrafted spirits.
Drake and Grosskreutz said the journey of Empty Barrel Distillery mirrors the distilling process itself – with the beginning, the craft, the transformation, the wait and the reveal.
The beginning – ‘every great spirit starts with an Empty Barrel’
Co-owners, friends and former neighbors, Grosskreutz and Drake said the idea behind Empty Barrel started with a friendly chat on the golf course.
“We were on the golf course one day and were talking about something we thought the Waupaca community needed – and I just threw it out there and said, ‘Maybe a distillery,’” Grosskreutz said. “We started looking into it and just kind of made it happen.”
As the idea continued to swirl around in their brainstorming minds, Drake said they began looking for potential properties that could be a good fit.
That process, he said, was long and, at times, frustrating.
“We wanted what we deemed to be a good location and that turned out to be fairly problematic,” Drake said. “It was getting harder and harder to find a place in Waupaca that was suitable for our needs.”

After nearly two years of looking, the pair said they discovered that the last two buildings on the north end of Main Street in downtown Waupaca were owned by the same person.
“I found out who that was, called them and we basically made the deal in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot,” Drake said. “After two years of searching, (the deal) took like five minutes. He said, ‘Okay, how much will you pay me?’ I told him, and he said, ‘Okay, that sounds great.’ And that was that.”
The craft – ‘creating the perfect blend’
Now that the “right buildings” were acquired, the co-owners said the next steps included transforming the historic properties into the vision they had for Empty Barrel Distillery.
“One of the buildings was built in 1892 and the other 1908 – so the different structures are kind of unique in themselves,” Grosskreutz said. “The first one, I’ve never seen a building built like this before with vertical studs going up with wood in between them.”
The plan from the beginning, the pair said, was to include as many aspects of the historic buildings into the end project.
“The uniqueness of the buildings’ structures is why we decided to open up all the brick walls – keeping them exposed,” he said.
The “craft process,” Grosskreutz – the establishment’s head distiller – said, also included honing in on the distilling process itself.
This, he said, included participating in an intensive distillery course at Moonshine University in Louisville, Kentucky.
“They had a six-day course basically covering an umbrella of what you need to expect or what you need to be looking at in regard to the distilling industry,” he said. “It really opened my eyes. Two sentences into the course they said, ‘welcome to the second-most regulated business in the country, next to pharmaceuticals.’”
The knowledge they gathered from Moonshine University and the additional research they did online, Grosskreutz said, helped him and Drake with the “big learning curve” they had in front of them.
“It’s hard,” Grosskreutz said. “Unless somebody was in the industry before – there is a pretty significant learning curve.”
There were points over the last two-plus years, Grosskreutz said, where they found themselves pivoting.
“Our education (from Moonshine University) helped limit those pivots,” he said, “but there were times when we had to step back, re-evaluate and go a different route.”
The last couple of years, Grosskreutz said, were also filled with “loads of paperwork.”
“The legalities and the paperwork that goes behind the distillery is pretty astronomical,” he said.
The transformation – ‘the magic begins’
During the floor reconstruction process, Grosskreutz said they went all the way down to the foundation to redo the buildings’ footings and pour concrete floors.
“All the old trusses that were placed back from 1892, you’ll see them throughout Empty Barrel,” he said. “The (wood pieces) above the bar where the lights are hanging, all the wood accents – those are the trusses that came out of that floor. Nobody has seen them in 100 years, and we are giving them new life.”
One of the tables inside Empty Barrel, Grosskreutz said, is made from one of the bigger radiators that was in the building.
“We wanted to keep the history of the building as best we could,” he said.
Along the way, Drake said they found a two-sided coffee sign – “it had been buried in the floor for who knows how long, it was about a foot and a half door.”

The duo said they gave the sign to the Koehler brothers who own Danes Hall next door.
“One of their uncles – a great, great, great uncle or something like that – owned the general store early on in one of these buildings, they might have been the first ones to have the building,” Drake said. “So I gave that to them, and they actually found an old picture (of it being used back then) and had a frame for us.”
He said the local historical society has also provided them with pictures of the buildings’ history that they are incorporating into Empty Barrel’s decor.
Other items the pair discovered during renovations include a 1917 mercury dime and a ticket stub to one of the last performances by Elvis.
“We stumbled upon some truly remarkable hidden treasures,” Grosskreutz said
Though the overall design of Empty Barrel is a nod to the history of the building it resides in, the atmosphere of the establishment, Drake said, will be “more upscale and elegant.”
“We refer to it as ‘the Empty Barrel experience,’” he said.
The wait – ‘patience is key’
As the duo wraps up a variety of projects – both regarding construction/interior design and the initial distilling process – Grosskreutz said the hope is to be ready to open the doors in April.
“Our stills are started right now – we just need to get some alcohol running through them,” he said. “I’d say we are about eight weeks out.”
Though the project may have taken longer than originally anticipated, Grosskreutz said it was important to them both that everything was done right.
As the building started to take shape and more details about Empty Barrel were shared on social media and throughout the Greater Waupaca community, Drake said the feedback he and Grosskreutz have received has been that of excitement and anticipation.
“The response has been incredibly good,” he said. “I get asked the same question all the time – ‘when are you opening?’ People are very anxious and excited to come in and see what’s going on.”
The City of Waupaca and the local chamber, Drake said, have also been “incredibly supportive” through the entire process.
“I can’t say enough good things about them,” he said. “The City of Waupaca has been absolutely great to work with. The State of Wisconsin and the WEDC have been excellent as well.”
The reveal – ‘the moment of truth’
When the doors of Empty Barrel open, Grosskreutz said it will have a standard menu of cocktails – “probably five different drinks for vodka, five different drinks for gin and five different drinks for whiskeys.
“That will be our staple list, we’ll call it,” he said. “Then we’ll have a rotating list, which will change quarterly or seasonally.”
Empty Barrel, Grosskreutz said, will also host events, including live music and private events such as rehearsal dinners.
“By the end of the summer – once we get our footing underneath us – we’ll also host tours,” he said. “We’ll walk people through the facility and the distilling process.”

Grosskreutz said they will also look to partner with other local businesses for food options at Empty Barrel.
More details on that, he said, will come soon.
As they look back over the last two-plus years and anticipate the distillery’s opening in a matter of weeks, the co-owners said they are proud and excited about what they’ve been able to accomplish so far.
The pair said they are also “incredibly excited” to be a part of the Waupaca business community.
“That’s the thing about Waupaca – you’re not really competing against anybody,” Drake said. “Everybody is just kind of moving forward working together, and the relationships that you make are incredible.”
The duo said not only do they want Empty Barrel to become a destination for North Central Wisconsin visitors, but they also want to help put Waupaca on the map for tourism.
“I’m hoping Empty Barrel helps bring people to the area that might not have come otherwise, and then they get to see all the other great things Waupaca has to offer,” Drake said. “This is a cool town.”
Grosskreutz and Drake, who have called Waupaca home for 14 and 17 years, respectively, said they have seen a lot of growth in the community during that time, and are now excited to help support its continued growth.
“Everybody knows that when we work together to drive forward (the Waupaca community), everyone benefits,” Drake said. “Look for a lot of cool things to happen around in the next 20-25 years.”
For updates on the progress of Empty Barrel Distillery as it gets closer to opening, follow it on Facebook and Instagram.