My first stop in North Carolina was at the Old Nick Williams Farm and Distillery. I knew I was in the right place when I had to stop and let the chickens pass before proceeding up the drive to the distillery. Old Nick was once one of the largest distillers in the United States, beginning production in 1768 and continuously producing liquor until 1909 when Prohibition was enacted in North Carolina. The family resumed liquor production in 2015.

I met with Zeb Williams, one of the co-owners and the master distiller, who gave me an extensive tour. He’s proud of the fact that they use all North Carolina grain and grow most of the corn themselves. They grind and mill the grain at the distillery right before they mash it. All of their equipment is driven by steam-based heat as they found that was much more efficient than gas. After mashing they use open-top fermentation as they feel that’s better. Their still is unique in the bourbon business as the two retorts they use are necessary to make Jamaican style rum which they do produce. They added a hybrid whiskey column on top of the pot still so they can bypass the retorts when making whiskey and use the column.

The distillery sports cocktail bars (both inside and out) where they sell cocktails made with their products. They are building a HUGE open deck where they will feature live music on weekends.