Tasting notes

nose

malted barley and honeyed oats, with wild honey, sweet mint and graham cracker over warm grass, light florals and toasted oak

palate

creamy and thick, with spiced honey, vanilla and cinnamon cake, then baking spices, white pepper and burnt honey

finish

lingering; baking spice and malt stay with light vanilla and toasted oak, turning to bitter dark chocolate as it fades

Mash bill

100% malted barley. The barley comes from farms within about 20 miles of the Statesville distillery, and the label calls it a one-grain whiskey. Southern Distilling runs it through a continuous column still, where most American single malt comes off pot stills, to make a single malt distinct from Scotch.

Why it's craft

Southern Distilling, a family-owned Statesville distillery founded in 2013, made this single malt grain to glass from barley grown within about 20 miles and released it in September 2025 as its first single malt. It ran the barley through a continuous column still instead of a pot still, then aged the spirit six years and bottled it uncut. The American Distilling Institute named Southern Distilling its 2025 Distillery of the Year shortly before the release.