Distilleries to start limited sales
It's been more than four years since Asheville Distilling Company opened at the old Blue Ridge Motion Pictures studio site and started turning out bottles of Troy & Sons legal moonshine whiskey. But under North Carolina law, the distillery couldn't sell visitors any of its product — it all had to go through the state's ABC liquor stores.
Starting Thursday that changes — a little. Each of the state's distilleries will be allowed to directly sell one bottle of its liquor per customer per year. "It's a step," said Asheville Distilling owner Troy Ball. "Almost everyone who comes — especially if they are from out of town — expects to be able to buy a bottle because that is what you can do in other states."
She expects the limited direct sales to produce revenue for the distillery, and reinforce the Asheville Distilling brand. The company's products include Blonde Whiskey, Oak Reserve moonshine whiskey, Platinum small batch moonshine and the new flavored spirits Cinnamon Whiskey and Nectarine and Honey. The company also produces a distilled green tea beverage for Bacardi called Tang, but it is only sold in China and not available in the United States, Ball said.
The distillery will begin the sales Thursday. Other Western North Carolina distilleries say they also want to sell directly to the public. There is also uncertainty about keeping track of purchases so that repeat visitors won't purchase a second bottle in a 12-month period. The legislation allowing sales requires that distilleries keep searchable electronic information that includes the customer's name, date of birth and driver's license number.
Ball said she'll initially require visitors to sign a register that includes name, driver's license number and an email address. Every customer will be carefully checked to be sure they are age 21 and older.
Howling Moon Distillery in Woodfin also intends to sell to the public, but co-founder Cody Bradford said he didn't know when that would begin. The company produces traditional moonshine as well as apple pie and strawberry moonshine.
In Marshall, Petzold Distilleries will also sell to the public, but the company does not have a traditional tasting room and owner Carl Petzold wasn't sure when he would begin sales. The distillery makes Original Applejack Moonshine and Spiced Sorghum Rum and and offers tours by reservation, he said.
"There is tremendous benefit to being able to host tourists and actually provide them with an example of what you make," Petzold said. "Not only not only does it financially benefit us but it givers us the ability to have an enticing venue for tourists. The distilling scene will only benefit from this."