As we get closer to opening our doors, a huge step was taken towards that goal with the installation of our stills. The 30-foot column still, which will be the centerpiece of the distillery, will be making several types of craft, small-batch whiskies. It’s teammate, the 500-gallon pot still, will create the world-class vodka and gin.
The copper piping stretches one-half a mile inside the building, showcasing the distillation process for guests. In the capable hands of Head Distiller Matt Greif, the stills will produce the distillery’s craft spirits. Guests can experience Matt overseeing the mashing and cooking to prepare for a bourbon, rye, and corn whiskey fermentation, as well as gin and vodka. You can enjoy a drink in our tasting room watching the very machines that made the drink, working to create your next one as well.
Jon Tuck, our process piper from B&W Mechanical, recounted the 5+ months of preparation required for installing these stills.
“This has been an extraordinary work of creativity and imagination– planning by the hour to overcome structural, shipping, and design obstacles. This could not have happened without people working together and the vision of the architects, engineers, and all of the contractors on site.”
The distilling process can begin now that the equipment has been installed, which means the tasting room will also be opening soon. Vodka and gin will be the first spirits available to taste, closely followed by a digestivo, and corn whiskey. There will be some un-aged whiskies for guests to experiment with as well.
To produce great spirits, you must start with great ingredients. Greif is meeting with many local farmers to supply the spirits with Georgia-grown corn and grans, and in the case of the Peach Flavored Vodka, Georgia peaches. Local botanicals are being sourced for the Digestivo and Nouveau Gin.
“Choosing the best raw ingredients and treating them with respect from field to glass is important to me. I want the finished product to not only stand on its own among peers, but to pay homage to where it came from. Farmers worked hard to grow the crops from which we will be making whiskey, vodka, and gin; there is no reason that we can’t respect that hard work and turn it into something amazing,” says Greif.
Distillery of Modern Art’s unique space will have creativity infused in both its distillery and art gallery. We can’t wait for you to get to know our spirits, how they are produced, and the beautiful modern art displayed in our gallery. The interior and exterior have been carefully designed, so when it’s time for the doors to open, you’ll want to keep coming back to discover all we have to offer.
“I look forward to the grand opening as an opportunity to raise a glass and exhale as these busy days’ pay off in rewarding fruition,” says Tuck.