Whiskey wish list: 5 Wilmington bars and restaurants team up for better bottles
On a steamy August Monday, representatives from five bars and restaurants in downtown Wilmington made the four-hour trip west to Southern Distillery Company in Statesville.
“It's a great place," said Brian 'Wes' Westlye, owner of Rebellion NC on Front Street. "If you could pick up the whole thing and move it, it would fit right in Kentucky's bourbon country."
In this case, the purpose was a barrel selection. The group toured the place, tasted samples from three barrels, and chose the one they thought was the best. Then, their selection was processed through the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Commission and those local bars and restaurants -- Rebellion, Front Street Brewery, manna, Dram & Draught, and Brooklyn Arts Center -- would share the results.
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It was the first action of this coalition that calls itself ILM Downtown Brown. The group's goals are to increase local offerings of unique and often unobtainable brown spirits and to shine the spotlight on the area’s whiskey scene. After all, the group includes two businesses, Rebellion and Front Street Brewery, named among America's Best Bourbon Bars by The Bourbon Review.
Already, their first choice was a winner. Southern Distilling's Southern Star Paragon Cask Strength Single Barrel Wheated Straight Bourbon Whiskey was recognized as Best In Class and Best Overall Bourbon out of a field of more that 650 spirits at the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition in early September.
It's now available at all five ILM Downtown Brown businesses, $15 for a full pour. Front Street Brewery is also using the barrel to brew a special beer. It's a high-proof selection, but Craig and Westlye said it's deceptively smooth.
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They also say that given the way North Carolina's ABC and the 171 local boards work that they might not have had a chance to carry it, or as much of it, without the barrel selection.
“In some cases, high demand, low supply spirits like some bourbons are allocated across the state, so no one ABC board uses them up," said Jeff Strickland, public affairs director for the NCABC. From there, some boards use lotteries, wait lists or simply puts them on the shelf for first come, first-served use. They try to spread out the supply in a fair and proportional way.
“But when you build your brand on bourbon or whiskey, like Rebellion or Front Street, it makes it difficult not knowing if you'll get certain selections,” Westlye said. "And the lottery system isn't the best. It essentially puts those businesses in the same pool as, say, a Ruby Tuesday."
Strickland said that bourbon groups or whiskey coalitions like ILM Downtown Brown are a way for bars and restaurants to make sure they have access, if they know they want certain products. And considering that a barrel of whiskey can cost $12,000-$17,000, and produce 150 to 200 bottles for sale, it makes sense for a group of restaurants to go in together on the purchase.
For the Downtown Brown Group, it works. Ideally, the group would like to do three or four barrel picks a year, Westlye said. Craig said they could also work with New Hanover County ABC to increase the allocation of special bourbons and whiskeys to the area. Other bars and restaurants, too, might participate in other barrel selections. By the end of the year, the group is hoping to work on a similar project with Wilmington's End of Days Distillery.
Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Bars and restaurants in downtown Wilmington form whiskey coalition
