A SPIRITED RETURN

Southern Distilling Company is the first legal distillery in Iredell County, and one of the largest privately owned distilleries outside of Kentucky.

The 20 acre Statesville campus houses a tasting room, production facility, barrel aging warehouse, bottling area, and conference room. There’s also two rickhouses on the campus, one currently filled with 24,000 barrels and another just starting to fill up. An event center is slated to open in 2023.

Under the leadership of Vienna Barger, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer and Pete Barger, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, SDC produces spirits for over 100 clients globally and boasts an award-winning range of bourbon and ryes. Their Southern Star Double Shot Bourbon Cream Liqueur is the most awarded bourbon cream in the nation.

So, what’s the story behind this local heavyweight? Vienna and Pete share more about the birth of their business, and the Carolina history that informed it.

When did Southern Distilling begin, and what was the impetus?

Vienna: In 2013, Pete and I set out to build a company that embraces the spirit of America’s innovative craft distilling industry. Southern Distilling Company was born on a 20 acre historic farm in Iredell County, and the response has been resounding ever since. We grew up around multi-generational family business ownership, and realized a desire to establish a business of our own. We spent a decade exploring options before launching a startup bourbon and rye distillery with a comprehensive and unique business model that checked all the boxes and was scalable.

How did you all choose your location?

Pete: Everything about Southern Distilling Company is intentional, including the physical location of the distillery: While I am native of Statesville, NC, the city was also once known as