Lift Your Spirits



PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
Lift Your Spirits | Be it for your bachelor party, bachelorette bash, or even your rehearsal dinner—rally the gang for a visit to a local distillery

Charleston Distilling Co.
(above, photograph courtesy of Charleston Distilling Co.)
Spirits: King Charles Vodka, Jasper’s Gin, and Tolerance Cinnamon Ginger Liqueur
What’s Cool: The distillery’s 8,700-square-foot warehouse sits in the heart of Upper King Street.
Tours & Tastings: Hourly tours for up to 20 people ($7 per person; includes a shot glass and three half-ounce tastings; Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m.)
Rent the Space: $1,800-$3,300/four hours; can hold up to 128 people; rate includes space only (Master distiller on-site for tours: $150/two hours)
Get the Goods! Charleston Distilling Co. is sold at liquor stores statewide.
Info: 501 King St., (843) 718-1446, www.CharlestonDistilling.com

Striped Pig Distillery
(above, photograph by Robbin Knight)
Spirits: Striped Vodka, Striped Rum, and 120-proof Striped ’Shine
What’s Cool: They claim to make the strongest legal moonshine sold in the Palmetto State.
Tours & Tastings: Hourly tours for groups of any size (free; includes three half-ounce tastings; Wednesday-Friday, 3-7 p.m.; Saturdays, noon-5 p.m.; and by appointment; no reservation required unless touring by appointment)
Rent the Space: $500-$1,500; can hold up to 250 people inside and additional guests outside; rate includes tours and three half-ounce tastings per guest; specialty cocktails available for additional cost
Favors: T-shirts, hats, koozies, shot glasses, and stickers; customized products are available via special order Get the Goods! Striped Pig is sold in liquor stores statewide; find retailer lists online.
Info: 2225-A Old School Dr., North Charleston, (843) 276-3201, www.StripedPigDistillery.com




Firefly Distillery & Tasting Room
(above, photograph by Docent Prodigy) 
Spirits: Original Sweet Tea Vodka, Raspberry Tea Vodka, Peach Tea Vodka, Skinny Tea Vodka, Straight Vodka, Firefly Moonshine, and more
What’s Cool:In 2008, they were the first to put sweet tea vodka on the market. The Southern classic is vodka infused with tea leaves sourced from nearby Charleston Tea Plantation.
Tours & Tastings: Tastings for groups up to 50 people ($6 per person; includes a shot glass and three half-ounce tastings; Tuesday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed January)
Rent the Space: Not available for private parties Favors: 50-milliliter mini bottles, three-gallon tea dispenser, T-shirts, ski hats, and baseball caps
Get the Goods! Firefly is sold at liquor stores statewide; find national retailer list online.
Info: 6775 Bears Bluff Rd., Wadmalaw Island, (843) 557-1405, www.FireflyVodka.com




High Wire Distilling Co. 
(above, photograph by Jennings King Photography) 
Spirits: Hometown Vodka, Silver Rum, Hat Trick Extraordinarily Fine Botanical Gin, Belonger’s Rum, and Quarter-Acre Sorghum Whiskey
What’s Cool: Scott Blackwell, who founded High Wire along with his wife, Ann Marshall, in September 2013, is a Culinary Institute of America-trained baker and hand-selects ingredients like Barbadian molasses and Tennessee sorghum for their small-batch fare.
Tours & Tastings: Hourly tours for groups of up to 20 people ($5 per person; includes three half-ounce tastings; Thursday-Saturday; 1-6 p.m.; reservations recommended for groups of five or more)
Rent the Space: $2,000 Friday and Saturday, 6-11 p.m.; $1,250 Sunday-Thursday, 6-11 p.m.; can hold up to 150 people; rate includes tours and tastings for 20 guests or less
Favors: Stainless steel flasks, shot glasses, hats, and T-shirts
Get the Goods! High Wire is sold in liquor stores throughout South Carolina and Georgia.
Info: 652 King St., (843) 755-4664, www.HighWireDistilling.SquareSpace.com

The Wedding Row

August 12 2019
We love it when Charleston is the backdrop for a budding romance, and we love it even more when a couple who started here returns for their “I do’s.” So it went with Amanda and Joey, who both...

August 12 2019
When a gal can name how many days she’s dated her beau (“One thousand and nine, but who’s counting?” laughs Erin), you know she’s ready for him to put a ring on it. When Matthew obliged, he and his...

August 8 2019
Sometimes it’s just so better said coming straight from the bride, so away we go into hearing it all from Houstin, Texas, resident Megan… (besides, we’re pretty sure we couldn’t get away with calling...

August 8 2019
We’re sure that Laura and Brian wanted their wedding day at Lowndes Grove Plantation to go on forever, because, duh, but we have to say we want it to, too! Why, now? Take a look at their insanely...

August 7 2019
Leave it to a couple from Texas to make a big splash of a wedding here in Charleston. Not only did Alicia and Walker pick an iconic mansion, the William Aiken House, for their reception, but they...

August 6 2019
“For months before the wedding,” says Mike, “Taryn would say, ‘Just wait! You won’t believe how amazing this day is going to be.’ ”And amazing it was. From the perfectly planned pink palette to the...

July 31 2019
August is just around the corner (like tomorrow, oh-em-gee) and school is about to be back in session. Do we hear all of those moms emitting a sigh of relief? To celebrate the end of this dreadfully...

July 30 2019
Kelly and Will met in an elementary school in 2013 … not while they were attending, of course, but while they were both teaching in Cleveland, Mississippi, for Teach for America Corps. Every...