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Holy City Spirits

Photography Alice KeeneyPhotos 18Issue February 2024
Holy City SpiritsBottles for sale at Firefly Distillery.Well-Stocked: Whiskey barrels at High Wire Distilling Co. on Huger Street.Blazing a Trail: Scott Newitt founded Firefly Distillery with his business partner Jim Irvin in 2005. By lobbying the legislature to lower prohibitive fees, they paved the way for the spirits industry in Charleston and the state.Jim Irvin.Firefly’s Blackberry Steel.Cheers! High Wire founders Ann Marshall and Scott Blackwell at their Huger Street distillery and tasting room; the couple celebrated the 10th anniversary of their award-winning, small-batch spirits company last fall.Piggybacked: One of the first to follow in Firefly’s footsteps, Striped Pig Distillery opened in a warehouse just off of Azalea Drive in North Charleston in 2013. New ownership took over in 2020 and announced a $10-million expansion in late 2022.High Wire Brown Derby.At High Wire’s Huger Street facility.Jimmy Red corn mash is fermented for seven days.The distilled spirit comes off the still and is aged in quarter-sawn oak that has been air dried for up to 36 months before being coopered into a whiskey barrel.After three to four years aging in the warehouse, the bourbon is bottled, labeled, and boxed for distribution.Holy City SpiritsMoving On Out: Charleston Distilling Co., which differentiated itself with its Carolina Reaper Pepper Vodka, moved to a much larger John’s Island facility in 2020 and more than doubled its output.Room to Grow: Kris Kincaid has expanded Cannon Distilling’s operations, going from approximately 2,000 square feet in Avondale to 19,000 in a James Island industrial park off Folly Road.Local Flavor: Cannon Distillery is using Marsh Hen Mill’s ‘Sea Island’ blue corn in a forthcoming bourbon.A signature blend of spices for its Chai Noon.

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Holy City Spirits: A look at a decade of dedicated growth among Charleston distillers
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