The American South embraces its moonshine roots, but there’s much more than just moonshine on Georgia’s craft distillery scene. You can also find homegrown vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, and bourbon at distilleries around the state that are delicious in cocktails and smooth enough to sip on their own. Drinking local spirits is also a wonderful way to support Georgia businesses and keep the industry going strong. Here are our favorite distilleries that you can visit and sample around the state!
Lazy Guy Distillery, Kennesaw
Lazy Guy Distillery is a craft whiskey distillery in the Atlanta Metro area that’s highly recommended by locals. It’s in the heart of downtown Kennesaw, a town known for its historical roots dating back to the Civil War. The distillery’s buildings are near the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive, so it’s a perfect place to stop while you’re out sightseeing. You can take a free, all-ages tour of the distillery. It’s also fun to stop by the Spirit Lab for handcrafted cocktails with the distillery’s spirits. This is a place to come for unique, small-batch whiskey and creative cocktails like Blue Snowflake and Prairie Milk. Lazy Guy whiskey is sold at bottle shops and taverns in the region as well.
Old Fourth Distillery, Atlanta
There are a few distilleries in Atlanta, and one of the very best to visit is the Old Fourth Distillery. Established in 2014, this is a place to come for handcrafted southern spirits on Edgewood Avenue. This distillery specializes in vodka grown from regional sugar cane and gin made with fresh botanicals. The distilling staff also loves to experiment with concoctions like Lawn Dart, which is a ginger lemon liqueur. Old Fourth Distillery is an eco-friendly distillery that values non-GMO, renewable, and pesticide-free products.
Richland Distilling Company, Richland
Richland Distilling Company is all about rum, which is exciting because every Georgia distillery has something different to offer and specialize in. The Spirit of Georgia is America’s only single estate rum, and the area around Richland, Georgia is ideal for making rum. This means that every glass of rum you drink is truly authentic and comes straight from the farm to you. The rum is made from sugar cane, turned into a syrup, fermented, distilled, aged, and meant to be shared. You can book a tour reservation online in advance, and every tour ends with a tasting for visitors aged 21 and older.
Thirteenth Colony Distillery, Americus
The Thirteenth Colony Distillery makes small-batch spirits ion Dudley Street in the town of Americus, Georgia. It uses local ingredients and got its start by simply making moonshine as Christmas gifts for friends and family. Today, the distillery makes four core products: Southern Vodka, Southern Gin, Southern Bourbon & Southern Rye.
Moonrise Distillery, Clayton
Clayton Distillery was established in 2012 by a retired chemist. It’s located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and produces high-quality moonshine, as well as bourbon and rye whiskey. The distillery prides itself on being open and transparent about its process, so you can come to see for yourself exactly what’s going into these amazing bottles. Guided tours are offered for free to see the facility and taste the products. You can also book a souvenir tour that includes the facility visit, tasting, and a bottle of your choice to take home.
Ghost Coast Distillery, Savannah
Savannah is one of the most charmingly haunted cities in the world, and the Ghost Coast Distillery celebrates this spirited history. It’s located in the heart of Savannah on Indian Street, and it is Savannah’s first distillery since just before prohibition. Ghost Coast specializes in vodka and has a traditional style and orange-flavored vodka too. The orange vodka is reminiscent of when the scent of orange blossoms filled the air in colonial times. There’s a cocktail room with an impressive list of hand-crafted cocktails.
Independent Distilling Company, Decatur
Independent Distilling Company is a no-frills garage distillery in Decatur that was established in 2014 to make small-batch spirits with local Georgia ingredients. The Independent Distilling Company specializes in corn whiskey, bourbon, and white rum. Sample three of these in a flight, or try one of the hand-crafted cocktails, like the Old Fashioned or Decatur Daiquiri. New laws allow you to buy a bottle at the distillery as well.
Dalton Distillery, Dalton
The Dalton Distillery makes real Georgia moonshine with a recipe that’s been in the making for over 100 years. It uses produce and grains grown in Georgia. Tazaray is a sunflower-based whiskey that is absolutely delicious and produced here. The crew also makes a straight corn whiskey and a cinnamon corn whiskey. Come here to celebrate the spirit of the Appalachian Mountains and how some things never change.
Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery, Dawsonville
Dawsonville has been called the “moonshine capital of the world,” so it only makes sense to try some local libations here. At Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery, you’ll find corn whiskey, apple pie moonshine, apple brandy, and white lightning moonshine.
