diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 37339e1..c2455b6 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ release-hook:
 	fi
 
 ## Target to run when building a release
-release: dist release-hook md5-dist
+release: distcheck release-hook md5-dist
 	@for file in $(DIST_ARCHIVES); do						\
 		printf "$$file    \tDistribution tarball\n";				\
 		printf "$$file.md5\t"; cat $$file.md5 | cut -f1 -d' ';			\