MEET THE ROSEN RYE TEAM
It Takes a Village

Teamwork makes the dream work. This project started as the brainchild of Mammoth Founder Chad Munger and Whiskey Maker Ari Sussman, who came across the history of the important Michigan grain and decided it was not just interesting, but possible to revive. It has become reality because of the hard work and dedication of a group of Mammoth employees who took on the many challenges of this audacious project.

Head Agronomist is a real job title at Mammoth. Leading the day-to-day effort is Head Agronomist Doug Burke, who has managed the project, led the farm work, and overseen a team that includes people from every part of Mammoth – from distillers to bartenders to copy writers. Over the last four years they’ve volunteered the time and person power necessary to take this idea from a dream to harvested grain that will one day become whiskey. It took vision, brains, brawn, grit and ingenuity to come this far. Not to mention travel by boat, rustic accommodations and farming completely off the grid. It wouldn’t have happened without all of them. 

2023 harvest update. This year’s harvest has just wrapped up and was full of challenges from weather to new equipment. The harvest team of Doug, Collin and Matt made it happen with multiple trips across the lake and MacGyver-level skills.