Savannah Spirits Group said it will open a new distillery in the heart of Savannah’s National Historic District in March 2018. The 12,000-square-foot building, built in the late 1800’s, will also house an upscale chophouse with multiple dining rooms, a full bar and private event space with a terrace on the upper floors all surrounded by the original brick that has been uncovered during the renovations. In the meantime, Savannah Spirits is currently producing its first two products off-site, Silver and Amber Rums. The rums are the first in a line that will include vodka, gin and whiskey.
“This has been a long time in the making and to introduce Savannah Spirits to the Low country starting with our rum, we feel, is the most apropos way to honor the bustling spirit of the region and its people, and to celebrate Savannah’s fanciful history,” says co-founder Dean Bell.
Heavily inspired by Savannah’s colorful history and often pit stop location for history’s most notorious rum-runners, both Savannah Spirits rums reflect the distinctive character and provenance of the city and express this through their harmonious flavor infusions. The Amber Rum, made with the guidance of expert distillers from ImperialSugar, fuses the caramel notes of Savannah Spirits Silver Rum with Imperial Sugar-made dark cane syrup to create a welcome addition to the dark rum world with a simultaneously abundant and mellow flavor.
Savannah has a storied history with rum. The town was founded in 1734 where the only laws were ‘No Slaves, No Lawyers, No Liquor,’ particularly rum. Soon tunnels had been dug beneath the town for smuggling rum. When Georgia went dry in 1908, Savannahians pushed to secede to form their own state, and during Prohibition, Savannah was known as the “Bootleg Spigot of the South.”
“It’s all about the history. Our concept is, taste the history. A lot of people don’t really know how associated Savannah is with rum running and the craziness that went on, so we’re taking advantage of that,” said Bell.
Savannah Spirits Amber is now available throughout the Savannah area at retailers, restaurants and bars.