Clayton C.
Yelp
SUMMARY. I've now done the tour/tasting twice: once with a friend and once with my parents. It is an awesome experience. $16.30 all-in gets you a tour of the actual facility where they make the booze and also a tasting of 5 types of their alcohol in their private tasting room. This last time they were in the middle of a batch, and you got to see it in the actual vats in the middle of the process. This was very cool to me, as I've been on other tours which were only for show, i.e. you don't actually see the real place the booze is made. This was much better.
Our tour guide both times I was there was a gentleman named Carter. He is incredibly knowledgeable and an overall great human being. I highly recommend seeking him out specifically for your tour.
AMBIENCE. We started out waiting for the tour in the bar and had a couple of drinks. I enjoyed a beer and a craft cocktail, both of which were great. The atmosphere was lively. The actual room where they make the booze has a warehouse-y feel, as it should. You definitely get the vibe that it is optimized for production and not meant to be customer-facing. I thought this really added to the authenticity of the tour. The last room is the actual tasting room, which was super cool. The tour guide pours several types of booze while the tour is seated at a private bar and listens to what makes each one of their products unique. The ambience of all three rooms is very different, and all are top notch.
VENUE. The venue is located off Charlotte northwest of downtown. It's a super cool mall-like building that sells various local sundries and is reminiscent of the early 1900s. It has a really awesome vibe, especially for a craft whiskey distillery.
QUALITY. The quality of the tour is great. Carter gives you so much information and the experience is incredibly worthwhile. The quality of the alcohol is also great, all with very unique flavors and smooth finishes. My family insisted on going to the airport early en route back to Chicago just to be sure they had enough time to buy bottles there (you can also buy them at the distillery itself, but we were short on time).
VALUE. For $16.30, it is an absolute steal. You get to see exactly where the booze is made, learn about the entire process and what makes this distillery and all its products unique, and you get an incredible tasting.
DURATION. The entire tour and tasting takes one hour.
TAKEAWAYS. The takeaway is this is a must-see. Given the low price, short duration, awesome quality (of both the staff and the booze), there are no excuses not to come here. I will be back again shortly, I'm sure.
Happily,
Clayton Cohn