Davidson Village Inn

Lake-Norman-Beerfest.jpg

Treat Your Palate at the Muddy River Distillery

muddy river distillery

Photo Credit: Cylonphoto/iStock/Thinkstock

The great thing about staying at Davidson Village Inn in the Charlotte metropolitan area are the vast number of great food and beverage establishments to visit within such a small region. One of our favorite new local gems is the Muddy River Distillery just southwest of Davidson in Belmont, NC. Only a 30-minute drive from downtown Davidson, this booming new distillery is serving up the first Carolina-made rum to ever exist. This family-owned craft liquor joint promises an excellent product and a great tour experience. Next time you’re in town for business or pleasure and staying with us here at the Davidson Village Inn, be sure to make the trip down to Belmont for this rum treat.

About Muddy River Distillery

Robbie Delaney started the company in November, 2011 and was fully licensed and official in February, 2012 when he became the first rum distillery in North Carolina. After seven months of test batches, Muddy River released their first product, Carolina Rum, which can now be bought at over 300 ABC stores throughout the state. You can refer to their product locator to see if you can buy it in a store near you. They currently have two stills, Liberty and Democracy, both of which are made almost entirely in-house and are working hard to produce their delicious products, which have a particularly unique taste.

Muddy River Distillery Products

Still in their beginning years, this new distillery already has two products on the shelves.

  1. Their first product is their Carolina Rum, a premium craft rum set apart by the fact that it isn’t barrel-aged as many of the same calibre rums are. Having perfectly engineered their still from scratch, the team was surprised by how smooth and perfectly silver their rum finished without being aged. Carolina Rum goes down smooth and is perfect for cocktails.
  2. Their small batch reserve product, Queen Charlotte’s, is a rich and complex beverage, perfect for serving neat, on the rocks or mixed any way you like it. Made with the finest, hand-selected American ingredients, this is a great gift bottle, or one to pull out for special occasions.

Muddy River Distillery Tour

Tours are available on weekends and weekdays, but must be signed up for in advance on their website. Be sure to check their availability and always keep an eye out for Groupon and Living Social deals. This is a 21 and over facility, and no pets are allowed on the premises. Tours last about 45 minutes and include a facility tour given by the founder and head distiller, Robbie Delaney, as well as a taste of their products.

If you’re a rum aficionado be sure to add this to your list of up-and-coming distilleries to visit. When making the trip don’t miss the chance to stay at the historic Davidson Village Inn, located right downtown in quaint Davidson, NC. There are countless other restaurants and breweries to round out your culinary trip to the area. If you’re passing through for other reasons, consider a trip out to this American-made distillery on the Catawba River.