13th Colony Distilleries’ 6th Annual Birthday Bash

A few months back, Southern Bon Vivant was invited to attend 13 Colony Distilleries’ 6th Annual Birthday Bash, at their facility and the historic Windsor Hotel in Americus, GA.  I RSVP’ed the day I received my invite and awaited its date with baited breath.  Needless to say I’m a huge fan of their products, especially their Southern Rye.  I decided to invite my good buddy Joshua Smith {of Tailored Events} to come with, and so last weekend we packed our bags and headed that way.

Hilariously, we may as well have packed the same bag as we both brought our suits, along with a vast array of shirt and tie combinations, just in case.  After a bit of deliberating on the appropriate look, we both decided to vest up in order to be both dressy and “casual”.

We rolled into the facility at roundabout a quarter til 4, which was sorta late, but as a wise man once said, “Our time and our clothes gotta coordinate.”  If you caught that I just quoted Ludacris, we’re now best friends.  Anyways, we realized almost immediately that a dress code wasn’t specified, because there wasn’t one and we now stood suited up in a room full of polos, shorts, and sundresses.  Which given the heat, may have been a more appropriate choice.  When your personal dress code philosophy is “to the nines or nothin’ ” this kind of thing tends to happen, so we decided to just roll with it.  Thank goodness we did; we were in for one hell of a night.

The tour, which was just getting underway, was being led by none other than the distiller himself, Graham Arthur.  I was impressed to find out that prior to distilling, Graham was a Sous Chef based out of Charleston, SC.  Ah yes, I’ve found a renaissance man, very refreshing.  Most distillers I’ve met up and to this point have come into the profession by way of a Degree in Biochemistry, oftentimes a Master’s or Doctorate in that field.  So, if Graham didn’t get a degree in it, how did he learn how to distill?  “Homeschooling.” He says with a wry smile.  “We are the first legal distilling operation in Georgia, but by no means are we the largest.”  Fair point, I know I’ve had my fair share of White Lightning.

After the tour was over, we headed for the Windsor Hotel, which just so yall are aware, is beautiful.  I would describe it as a Southern Grand Budapest; incredibly ornate wood crown molding and ceiling patterns grace every room along with lighting and furnishings that point to an extravagance of days past.  That’s not to say that the hotel is in disrepair by any means.  The staff and management was very friendly and helpful.  The fixtures were all clean as was the furniture.  I can only imagine how tedious the upkeep must be in a place like that.  Besides a gorgeous inside, it also has 2 large balconies that overlook downtown.  Don’t even get me started on how it looks at night…

No party, especially one where you’re throwing back a lot of the good stuff, would be complete without good eats.  The folks at 13th  did not disappoint.  Wandering around the Windsor were a legion of servers with assorted Southern staple snacks and then there was the Bacon Fairy.

He fluttered about the room bearing in his grasp a tray so filled with candied bacon that whosoever possesses it would never know want.

While I was still reeling from engorging myself on at least 5 or 10 or well…ok fine I lost count of how much bacon I ate!  Judge away.  Any way while I was slipping into a delicious bacon fueled coma, the dinner bell rang.  I had heard tell of BBQ being present at the event, this is definitely not what I was expecting.  They had roasted an entire pig, then hollowed out a space in the back of the it and then filled it full of scrumptious pulled roast pork.  It was essentially a cavern of meat.  I was almost too excited to speak or move, Josh on the other hand wasted no time and dove straight in.

We had an amazing time getting to know all the folks from the distillery, the event, and from the town surrounding it.  The 13th Colony Distilleries’ Team couldn’t have been more accommodating.  The size of their staff puts the small back in small batch; a team of only 8 people makes up the entirety of 13th Colony Distilleries.  They treat each other and their guests like a family and it shows in the people that were present at this illustrious event.  All this is well and good, but what makes them so special?  We can’t taste their generosity or caring hearts, yall are probably saying.  Why should yall drink their make?  I’ll tell ya why, because this is how the CEO speaks about his product,

“I don’t give a damn if your granddad or his granddad was a moonshiner.  It doesn’t make your drink taste any better.  There’s plenty of distilleries trying to sell you on this story or that one, but when it comes down to it, it’s all about if you make good taste.  I believe that [Graham] makes a damn good taste, and if yall didn’t agree with me, you wouldn’t be here.”  – Alton Darby, CEO

I would have to agree with that.  Which is why Josh and I will both be returning in June to shoot a documentary of their facility.  More on that later.  For now, check out their website & if ya want, come on down to the bar and I’ll pour ya one.

Yours Truly,
Ryan Smith