IT’S PERSONAL
FIND FAMILY HISTORY IN EVERY BOTTLE AT NORTH CAROLINA’S BOGUE SOUND DISTILLERY
WRITTEN BY CARRIE DOW P H O T O S P R O V I D E D B Y B O G U E S O U N D D I S T I L L E RY
WWW.ART ISANSP IRITMAG.COM
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ogue Sound Distillery owner Richard Conoley Chapman is a big dude — tall, broad shouldered, with a square jaw to match. I have no doubt when he says he was an offensive tackle for the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the mid1960s. “I have two ACC championship rings,” he declared. “I was fortunate enough when I was there, we won third in the nation and played in the Liberty Bowl.” His soft voice belies his imposing stature, and I find myself leaning in to hear better. That’s because Chapman has a story to tell — several, actually — and I want to catch every word. “Everything we have has to have a story behind it or we won’t do it,” he said about his products. Opened in 2018, Bogue Sound Distillery backs up to its namesake waterway in eastern North Carolina. On the sound’s other side is NC’s Crystal Coast, an area known for sport fishing and sandy beaches. Chapman’s goal is twofold, make his distillery known for exceptional spirits throughout the state, and to share his family history. Chapman talks about his great-great-grandfather, John A.P. Conoley, whose name and picture appears
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