The Made in the South Awards’ Drink category has honored all types of beverages over the years—beers, teas, mixers, even pecan milk—but naturally, the South’s most celebrated spirit has been well represented, even outside of its Kentucky hub. From a Texas single malt to an all-corn South Carolina straight bourbon, here are five of our favorite whiskey winners from across the South.
Virginia Distillery Company
Courage & Conviction PX Sherry Single Cask
Lovingston, Virginia
Virginia Distillery Company opened in 2011 in pursuit of creating high-quality single malts that could rival the best Scotch. Taking notes from experts in Scotland and Taiwan, the team started aging their whiskey in barrels that formerly contained sherry and port. Our favorite is the PX Sherry Single Cask, which has deep notes of figs and stewed plums, brightened with vanilla and cloves.
High Wire Distilling Co.
New Southern Revival Brand Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Charleston, South Carolina
Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall’s New Southern Revival bourbon is a showstopper. Their secret: a mash bill composed entirely of Jimmy Red corn, a magenta-hued South Carolina variety that nearly went extinct in the early 2000s. The result is nuanced, sweet, and nutty—and one of our all-time favorites.
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
1884 Small-Batch Whiskey
Shelbyville, Tennessee
Uncle Nearest’s line of premium whiskeys is crafted by master blender Victoria Eady Butler, who descends from the once-enslaved Nearest Green, considered the country’s first-known African American master distiller. (Green taught a young Jack Daniel the trade.) We honored their 1884 small batch in our 2020 awards for its sweet and spicy notes and long, smooth finish.
TX Whiskey
Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Cognac Casks
Fort Worth, Texas
TX Whiskey makes a line of standout bourbons on 112 acres outside Fort Worth, including its Barrel Finish Series, which, as the name implies, are rested in used cognac, sherry, or port casks for more than a year. The offerings from the cognac casks, our 2022 honoree, have lighter, crisper fruity notes, making it the perfect bourbon for Texas summers.
Great Wagon Distilling Co.
Rúa American Single-Malt Whiskey
Charlotte, North Carolina
Ollie Mulligan may have been inspired by his Irish roots to start Great Wagon Distilling Co., but his Charlotte-made single malt has the terroir of the Tarheel State. The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in town makes the mash. After distillation, Mulligan brings the spirit down to eighty proof with water from cool, clean mountain springs in North Carolina’s Yancey County.
