Downtown restaurants collaborate to serve a bourbon only available at their bars
Bourbon is in high demand, and North Carolina liquor laws tend to send the most desirable bottles to big markets like Raleigh or Charlotte. But the single-barrel lovers of Wilmington have an edge: local bar and restaurant owners who come together to choose their own blend and bring it back to the Port City.
When ordering a bourbon at places like Front Street Brewery, Pinpoint and Rebellion, look for the bottles with a sticker that reads “ILM Downtown Brown,” and you’ll be guaranteed to drink something unavailable anywhere else. That’s right, that bottle of Old Forester, nicknamed Port City Vitamin Sea (at 128 proof) or Southern Star Paragon (113 proof) is not on anyone’s shelf, not at an ABC store nor in a personal collection.
“That way we could bring something unique to Wilmington,” says Josh Cranford, the general manager at Front Street Brewery, who initiated the group along with Wes Westlye of Rebellion.
To kick off the collaboration, in 2022 bar owners and some some lucky hardworking staff from Front Street, Rebellion, Dram & Draught of Wilmington, Brooklyn Arts Center and manna took a trip to Statesville, North Carolina, home of the Southern Star distillery, where they
were able to taste whiskey while still in barrel and choose the one they liked best. Once consensus was reached, some members of the group committed to buy the entire contents after bottling, which helps make the bourbon affordable, and allows bars with little storage space to get in on the deal.
Since the first barrel, other bars, including the Starling and Azaela Station, have participated.
As connoisseurs know, single barrels of anything—whether it be American whiskey or Scotch—are valued because no barrel of whiskey is the same. Differences come from varying blends of batches, time in oak and, perhaps imperceptibly, who grew the corn and grain that was fermented then distilled to make the final product.
To make this most American of spirits, distillers must adhere to basic parameters to be able to put “bourbon” on the label: It must be made in the United States from at least 51 percent corn; aged in barrels that have been charred on the inside; distilled to a maximum of 160 proof; barreled at a maximum of 125 proof and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof and up to a maximum of 150 proof. No colorings or flavorings are allowed.
Since the initial pick of Paragon from Southern Star and Old Forester, varying bar owners have collaborated with Elijah Craig and Rittenhouse Rye.
“We really wanted to give everyone the opportunity to put some of these bourbons on their shelves,” says Cranford. “The project has brought us together. It’s a good feeling.”
This story appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of the magazine.
