Distillery Tours in Statesville, NC | Book a Tour at Southern Distilling Company

Southern Distilling Company offers 60-minute guided distillery tours in Statesville, NC for $15.00 per person, and every tour ends with a tasting at our bar. Tours run daily and start at the top of the hour. Reservations are recommended. Walk-ins are welcome when space allows.

That glass-fronted building you see from Interstate 77 and keep driving? It’s more than a pretty view. It’s a working North Carolina grain-to-glass distillery, bourbon destination, on a 20-acre campus, in the town that shipped more legal whiskey than anywhere else in America before Prohibition.

You will not watch an educational video about how bourbon is made. You will stand next to the actual still while it runs. You will smell the mash cooking and the char in the rickhouse. You will then sit at the bar and taste what all of that turns into.

Weekend tours fill quickly, and the last tour of the day goes out well before closing. Book ahead if you are driving in from Charlotte or the Triad.

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What to Expect on a Southern Distilling Company Tour

A Southern Distilling Company tour takes you behind the scenes of our working distillery in Statesville, NC, for a start-to-finish look at how bourbon and whiskey are made. Walk the full production floor with a guide who works here, discover the craft behind every step, and finish your approximately 60-minute tour with a guided tasting of our spirits.

Here is the order of the day.

Milling. We start with grain. Corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley grown by farm partners here in North Carolina. Your guide will show you the difference in the grain bills that become Southern Star Bourbon and Southern Star Double Rye.

Mashing and fermentation. Ground grain, hot water, and yeast go into the fermenters. This is the loudest and best-smelling part of the tour. You can see the mash working.

Distillation. Our column still and copper pot still are the heart of the building. Your guide explains proof, cuts, and why the middle of the run is the only part that goes into a barrel.

Barreling and aging. New charred oak, filled on site, then racked in the rickhouse. Time and Carolina weather do the rest. The color in the glass comes from the wood, not from anything we add.

Bottling. Every single bottle of Southern Star is filled, corked, and labeled right here in Statesville. Nothing leaves this campus that was not made on it.

The tasting. You finish at our flame oak bar with a guided pour of the lineup, including our award-winning Double Shot Coffee Bourbon Cream Liqueur.

Pete and Vienna Barger founded this distillery in 2013 to reignite North Carolina‘s whiskey tradition. That is not a tagline you read on a wall here. It is the reason the tour ends with a bourbon that was corn in an Iredell County field four years ago. Read our founders’ story

What is included

• A guided 60-minute walk through the working production floor
• Milling, fermentation, distillation, barrel aging, and bottling, all in one building
• A guided tasting of Southern Star bourbons, Double Rye Whiskey, and Double Shot Bourbon Cream Liqueur
• Time with a knowledgeable guide who can answer real questions about mash bills and proof
• Access to the award-winning tasting room, bar, and gift shop before and after
• Bottle purchase on site, including single barrels and tasting room exclusives

Guest photography is welcome throughout the tour. Professional or staged photo shoots are not permitted on distillery property.

Tour Options, Pricing, and Hours

Two bookable experiences are available at Southern Distilling Company. Both in-depth offerings include time on the production floor and something incredible in a glass at the end.

Behind the Scenes Tour | $15.00 per person

Our standard 60-minute distillery tour and tasting. Tours start on the hour. Seniors 65 and older and veterans receive a discounted ticket. Active military are free. Everyone under 21 is free and welcome to walk the tour, though tastings are for guests 21 and older with valid ID.

Cask to Cork

Craft your own story, one bottle at a time. Hand-select your bourbon from a barrel from a rotating selection of single barrels, then step up and fill your own bottle at our bottling station, cork it, and apply your own label. No two barrels taste the same, so no two bottles are the same. This is the one hands-on experience guests talk about for years. Booking and pricing are on the reservation page.

The last tour of the day leaves before closing time, so check the booking calendar for the final available slot. Reservations are recommended on Fridays, Saturdays, and holiday weekends. Walk-ins are taken on a space-available basis.

Wear closed-toe shoes. You will be walking on a working production floor.

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Bourbon Tastings and Flight Options

You do not have to take a tour to taste our nationally-recognized bourbons. Our award-winning tasting room is open every day for flights, craft cocktails, and bottle sales.

Tasting flights are available for purchase at the bar, so you can personally compare Southern Star Bourbon against the Double Rye side by side and taste what a wheated mash bill does differently. Our bartenders pour craft cocktails built on our own spirits, and snacks are always available for purchase.

Friendly dogs are welcome in the tasting room. Pets are not permitted on tours of the production area for safety reasons.

The tasting room also carries single barrels, limited releases, gift cards, and merchandise you will not find in an ABC store. Under North Carolina law, distilleries may sell bottles on site to visitors 21 and older, and every purchase requires a valid ID. Shipping rules vary by state, so check our Where to Buy page before you plan on sending bottles home. Visit the tasting room

Getting Here | Directions, Parking, and Nearby Stops

Southern Distilling Company is at 211 Jennings Road, Statesville, NC 28625, right off Interstate 77 at the I-77 and I-40 crossroads. Parking is free and on site, with room for cars, buses, and shuttle vans.

Drive times

• Charlotte: about 42 miles, roughly 45 minutes north on I-77
• Winston-Salem: about 45 miles, roughly 45 minutes west on I-40
• Greensboro: about 68 miles, roughly one hour west on I-40
• Mooresville and Lake Norman: about 20 minutes south on I-77
• Raleigh: about two and a half hours west on I-40

Coming up from Charlotte or Mooresville, take I-77 North to Statesville and follow signs from the exit. The building is glass-fronted and visible from the interstate. If you are driving in from Uptown, our Charlotte visitor page has step-by-step directions and a day-trip plan.

Make a day of it

Statesville rewards a full afternoon. Downtown Statesville is ten minutes away and has lunch spots inside the Historic Downtown Commercial District. Fort Dobbs State Historic Site covers French and Indian War history on the north side of town. Lake Norman State Park is a short drive south for a walk on the water. The Iredell Museums and the Fourth Creek Greenway are close by. In the fall, Statesville earned its other nickname as the Ballooning Capital of the East.

On our own campus, the 20 acres include a demonstration orchard and a small herd of mini donkeys. They are the most photographed residents here, and they do not mind it.

Why Statesville Was the Liquor Capital of the World

Statesville was once the largest producer of legal whiskey in the United States. This history is the reason our distillery is here and not somewhere else.

In the late 1800s, Iredell County sat on a rail hub with good corn, clean water, and a direct line to market. Bonded distilleries lined the area around Court Street, and locals called it Whiskey Alley. Federal tax revenue out of Statesville ran ahead of much larger cities. The town earned the name liquor capital of the world, and it meant it.

Then it ended. The temperance movement moved through when North Carolina voted to go dry in 1908, and the law took hold in 1909, a full decade before national Prohibition. The stills came down. The trade left and did not come back for nearly a century.

Legal distilling returned to North Carolina in the 2000s. Southern Distilling Company opened in 2013 on 20 acres in the same county, doing the same work with better equipment. When you walk through the rickhouse on a tour, you are standing in a tradition that was interrupted, not ended.

North Carolina whiskey history comes to life on every Southern Distilling Company tour. Your guide will share the stories behind the spirits.

Group Tours, Corporate Events, and Private Bookings

Groups of any size are welcome, and larger groups get a better visit when we know they are coming.

Bus tours, bourbon clubs, bachelor and bachelorette parties, family reunions, and company outings all work here. Custom behind-the-scenes group tours and specialty tours are available. A private tasting around what your group actually drinks is also available. For groups of 10 or more, contact us directly instead of booking online so we can schedule guides and pour space properly.

We also host corporate off-site tastings, team outings, holiday parties, and weddings on the campus, with a conference room, tasting room, and outdoor space available for rental. Plan a private event

Call 704.978.7175 or email Cheers@SouthernDistilling.com to talk through a group visit.

Book Your Distillery Tour Today

Distillery tours in Statesville, NC run daily at Southern Distilling Company, 60 minutes on the floor and a tasting at the bar for $15.00 per person. Reserve your spot, drive up I-77, and give yourself an afternoon worth remembering.

Come see how it is made. Then stay and raise a glass.

Book a Tour | Get Directions | 704.978.7175

211 Jennings Road, Statesville, NC 28625
Savor responsibly.

Frequently asked questions about our tours

How long is a distillery tour at Southern Distilling Company?
About 60 minutes, including the tasting at the end. Tours start at the top of the hour.

How much does a distillery tour cost?
$15.00 per person. Seniors 65 and older and veterans receive a discount. Active military and everyone under 21 are free.

Do I need a reservation?
Reservations are recommended, especially on Fridays, Saturdays, and holiday weekends. Walk-ins are taken when space allows.

Can I bring my dog?
Friendly dogs are welcome in the tasting room. Pets cannot join tours of the production area.

Is there food on site?
Snacks are available for purchase in the tasting room. Downtown Statesville is ten minutes away for a full meal.

Can I buy bottles after the tour?
Yes. Bottles, single barrels, and tasting room exclusives are sold on site to guests 21 and older with valid ID.

How far is Southern Distilling Company from Charlotte?
About 42 miles, roughly 45 minutes north on I-77.