One of the nice things about working for a company like Salem Media, our parent company, is that Salem gives us a day off in the month of March for Employee Appreciation Month. I took mine on Tuesday of this week.
My original plan was to drive up to Jack River Fields and do a little light hiking. You might remember that as the place where I got stuck with a dead car battery miles away from civilization in December 2024. However, the weather forecast didn’t agree with me (although Tuesday wound up being a much nicer day than the forecast suggested), so I changed my plans and decided to tour a Georgia distillery.
Moonrise Distillery is in Clayton, Ga., in the northeast corner of the state. I’d had Moonrise’s Georgia Bourbon a couple of times (and reviewed it in the Related link below); it’s a nice low-proof bourbon. But I discovered that Moonrise has so much more to offer.
Related: Whiskey Wednesday: Reviewing 4 Georgia Bourbons
I showed up for my noon tour and discovered that I was the only one there. My tour became a one-on-one conversation. At one point, I explained to Tony, my tour guide, that I’m a writer and editor, so he explained Moonrise’s processes to me from a storyteller’s vantage point rather than that of a scientist.
I’ve thought of myself as pretty knowledgeable when it comes to bourbon; I even have a certification as a bourbon steward. But Tony helped me make connections between the bourbon distilling process and the processes behind other whiskeys in ways that hadn’t occurred to me before.
Moonrise is a small operation, but it’s impressive and effective. Moonrise uses local corn, which it gets from a farm just a few miles down the road, and the staff keeps the sealing wax heated in a crock pot.
I met the owner and master distiller, Doug, as well as his son, CJ, who is the assistant master distiller. Tony and Doug showed me a special barrel that they outfitted with a glass front so that you can see how the bourbon looks inside the barrel. The amber color that was already emerging after a few weeks in the barrel was impressive.
But the real magic happened at the tasting. Since I was the only one on the tour — and since I got to meet the owner — Moonrise hooked me up. I got to try everything! I’ve become a big fan of Moonrise’s Distiller’s Select and Single Barrel bourbons after the tasting. I haven’t dipped my toes into rye whiskey that much, but Moonrise’s Distiller’s Select and Single Barrel ryes turned my head. I even tried the vodka and gin, and while I’m not a fan of either one in general, I’m glad I tried them.
Moonrise surprised me with a tasty array of ready-to-drink cocktails. A rye-based “Mountain Margarita”? Yes please. I’m funny about flavored teas, but the Georgia Peach Tea, infused with bourbon, was good. I’m also not a Bloody Mary fan, but Moonrise’s rye whiskey version turned my head. But I wound up taking a bottle of the Bourbon Lemonade home with me.
Doug even jumped behind the bar to pour me a shot of Moonrise’s limited edition bourbon celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. It’s a bit outside my price range, but my favorite part of the bottle was the label that read “45 47.” I did enjoy the tasting of that one.
After a “dessert” of Moonrise’s Bourbon Snow Cream and an excellent Manhattan that Ashton, the bartender, made for me, it was time to hit the road. I spent a small fortune between the Distiller’s Select and Single Barrel bourbons and the Bourbon Lemonade, alongside some bourbon blackberry preserves that I got for my sister and a bottle of the Bloody Mary that I got for my brother.
I enjoyed my tour and tasting at Moonrise Distillery. It’s nice to have something like that just a couple of hours away from me, and I’ll definitely come back. I might even check out the speakeasy that has its grand opening there next month.
