The Carolinas’ Full Throttle Magazine
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Southern Distilling Company Welcomes Bikers Story by Alan Dockery t’s no secret that bikers might enjoy a sip of a drink with some alcohol in it. I’m glad to see most of y’all drink responsibly and don’t ride when you shouldn’t. But I encourage y’all to ride on over to Southern Distilling Company in Statesville, NC, for a tour. See how premium bourbon is made in a modern distillery. You’ve been to the breweries and vineyards already. Move up to a distillery tour. I was born in Statesville and didn’t know about the legal history of whiskey around here. Shucks, they are planning a fine new Straight Rye Whiskey under the Celebrated Old Hunting Creek Rye brand name. That was once a revered brand prior to Prohibition. I’m looking forward to it since my Papa took me fishing and hunting on that creek for years. And I saw Daddy buy many gallons of local whiskey at Dash’s Store by the road to the creek. In 2013, husband and wife team Pete and Vienna Barger purchased a 20-acre farm in Pete’s hometown of Statesville with the notion of founding their own distillery. As they began that adventure, they stumbled onto something they, nor most anyone, was aware of – the deep and rich history of whiskey and brandy distilling that had dominated the Statesville region in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Deeply moved by what they learned, the Bargers decided to produce bourbon and rye whiskeys and bring a piece of history back to its rightful birthplace. They called their new venture The Southern Distilling Company and would dedicate the next three years to crafting their plan and building a state-of-the-art destination distillery in Statesville. The Southern Distilling