Our Legacy

Reigniting a Rich History.

Prior to prohibition,
Statesville, NC was known as
the “liquor capital of the world.”

Statesville’s ideal climate, high quality local ingredients, ingenuity, and location at the crossroads of America’s rail system made it the epicenter of spirits production. That is until the booming spirits industry became a target for the Temperance Movement and Statesville was voted dry in 1903.

All these years later we’re here to put North Carolina back on the map by blending innovation with 100+ years of tradition to create consistent high quality whiskey that North Carolina can be proud of.

Meet Pete and Vienna.

The people behind the mission.

Coming from the engineering and public health fields, Pete and Vienna have found a way to bring a fresh perspective to the tradition of distilling.

Pete, a Statesville native, brought his engineering background and entrepreneurial spirit back home to North Carolina to innovate the distilling process at every turn.

Vienna, a California girl, leverages her background in public health and government policy to manage daily business operations. Together, they have successfully changed antiquated laws and broken down North Carolina’s previously strict barriers for distribution and sale of distilled spirits.

Why we’re here.


Reigniting Statesville’s history starts with doing things the right way, a
way that North Carolinians can be proud of.

Connected to the Land.

We believe knowing where our ingredients come from and the farmers who produce those ingredients makes our process more sustainable and our spirits more delicious.

Homegrown in North Carolina.

You can taste a little bit of Statesville in every sip, from the distilling techniques that have been kept around for generations to the rich soil that has been worked and perfected.

Built by the American Dream.

Southern Distilling is proud to be family owned and operated, and founded by two folks with entrepreneurial spirits and a love of bourbon, rye, and this land we call home.

Perfected Through Partnership.

Whether it’s our yeast, cooperage, still, and agriculture partners, we’ve surrounded ourselves with people who make us better, and we hope we’re making them a little better too.

Purple heart homes

help us make a difference in our community.

For every bottle of Southern Star Double Rye you buy, 50% of our profits goes to support Purple Heart Homes’ mission to create housing solutions for disabled and aging veterans.

Support the Mission

Our Spirits

Cheers to the good stuff.

Let’s raise a glass to the simple joys in life and the hand-crafted spirits that make them even better.

See our spirits