Alcohol in WNC
Original Article: Alcohol In WNC 2017
Written By: Capital at Play
As we have done in the previous two years, we are publishing a map of the 18 counties of Western North Carolina, with Jennifer’s listing of all breweries, wineries, distilleries, and cideries dotting this corner of the state. Among the relevant data points: (A) does the company have a retail taproom or tasting room rather than just being strictly a manufacturer; (B) how many barrels or bottles does it produce, on average, per year, as a measure of size and productivity; and (C) what is the number of full-time and part-time employees. (The latter, in the aggregate, serves as a general indicator of how the alcohol industry directly impacts the regional employment outlook.)
We intend to keep the online version of this information updated on a regular basis, so please let us know of any updates, corrections, or additions we need to be aware of. It’s located at the Resources section of CapitalatPlay.com. We’ve tried to be as complete as possible, but as the accompanying report on the previous page outlines, the regional alcohol industry continues to be in flux. And yes, as before, we accumulated our information the old-fashioned way: traditional journalistic inquiry—calling and emailing the principals, and consulting publically-available online resources—and not by utilizing algorithms, as many other such surveys do. [Below: click on each link to bring up the corresponding list of businesses.)
Master List: Distilleries & Cideries
1. Black Mountain Ciderworks & Meadery
Black Mountain
Barrels Made Per Year: 1,000
Employees FT: 2 PT: 1
blackmountainciderworks.com
2. Urban Orchard Cider Company
Asheville
Barrels Made Per Year: 968
Employees FT: 10 PT: 6
urbanorchardcider.com
3. Noble Cider
Asheville
Barrels Made Per Year: 2,500 – 3,000
Employees FT: 6 PT: 3
noblecider.com
4. Bold Rock Hard Cider
Mills River
Barrels Per Year (at full capacity):
600,000 case equivalents
boldrock.com
5. Flat Rock Ciderworks
Hendersonville
Employees FT: 1 PT: 2
flatrockciderworks.com
6. Appalachian Ridge Artisan Hard Cider
Hendersonville
Opens September 2017
Distilling Companies
1. Blue Ridge Distilling Co. Inc.
Bottles Made Per Year: 102,000
Whiskey (Defiant Whisky)
Employees FT: 5 PT: 1
defiantwhisky.com
2. Oak & Grist Distilling Co. Black Mountain
Local Gin & Whisky
oakandgrist.com
3. Asheville Distilling Co.
Asheville
Bottles Made Per Year:
300,000 capacity
Whiskey (Troy & Sons)
Employees FT: 5 PT: 2
ashevilledistilling.com
4. Howling Moon Distillery
Asheville
Bottles Made Per Year: 20,000
Moonshine
Employees FT: 3
howlingmoonshine.com
5. Apothecary Beverage Company
Asheville
151 Coxe Ave
Gin under The Chemist label.
6. Dalton Distillery
Asheville
Bottles Made Per Year: 3,000+ Rum
Employees FT: 3 PT: 2
addistillery.com
7. Eda Rhyne Distillery
Asheville
Appalachian Fernet, Pinnix Gin, Forrest Floor Amaro
edarhyne.com/
8. H&H Distillery
Asheville
Bottles Made Per Year: 4,000
Rum (see p. 18)
Employees FT: 2 PT: 3
hhdistillery.com
9. Elevated Mountain Distilling Company
Maggie Valley
Bottles Made Per Year: 36,000+ (projected; started sales late May 2017)
Corn Whiskey, Flavored Moonshines (Root Beer and Peach Pie), Vodka
Employees FT: 2 PT: 7
elevatedmountain.com