James May June 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 23
1861 Distillery
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THOMASVILLE, GA
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THOMASVILLE IS PERHAPS best known for its bird shooting
prowess— more than 70 plantations and more than 300,000
acres of maintained quail habitat make it a mecca for high
flyers and quail hunting aficionados. The Southern lifestyle
bible Garden and Gun called it “What Aspen is to skiing,
Thomasville is to bird shooting.” Titans of industry and
celebrity flock to the small, south Georgia town for the experience of luxury style and pastime. In short, the perfect
destination for a whiskey or bourbon.
Partially thanks to all these big business types coming
to town, downtown Thomasville is bustling. Thanks to
the historic architecture, brick-paved streets, live oaks and
ordinances preserving them, Thomasville retains a character like few other cities. Located just about thirty minutes
north of Tallahassee, the quaint city makes for a great day
trip for north Floridians and south Georgians, or a destination for those from further away. Just a couple blocks from
the brick-paved Broad Street sits the 1861 Distillery.
Perfect for the slow, luxurious style of Thomasville, the
1861 Distillery is named in honor of the year the first train
arrived in Thomasville, transforming it from a farm town
into the destination that it is
today, or as the distillery says
on their website a “terminus of
warmth and hospitality.” “It’s
this enduring spirit of welcome
that we aim to embody, offering
our guests a taste of Southern
hospitality and a pause to savor
life’s moments.”
Owners Brian and Jill Higgins are south Georgia natives—
Jill was a teacher in Quitman
for some time while Brian made
a career in the Air Force with “multiple stateside locations
to include multiple overseas and austere locations.” Brian
was the lead for eight remote overseas airfield
site surveys, opening base rights in three countries and helping to open cargo terminals for Department of Defense air operations. Considering
the last thirty years of U.S. Air Force operations
and the phrase “austere locations”— opening a
slow-paced, old-style distillery is a much different, new vocation for Brian.
“In the heart of Thomasville, a small
southern town that quickly felt like home after
Air Force retirement, we found inspiration in a
quaint “shine shed” among friends. This spot became our
brainstorming haven, cultivating the idea to start a distillery that embodies our region’s essence and leisurely
pace of life,” said Brian.
The Higgins’ point to their home atop one of the
world’s purest limestone aquifers and the “sweet, pristine
water’s” effects on their spirits, distilled with painstaking
care through a slow process. Like Thomasville, the Higgins’ have cultivated a welcoming, hometown feel that
keeps people coming back. “1861 Distillery feels like home.
From the spirits to the food to the people, every time I
walk in it feels just like coming home,” said one customer.
“Our spirits, distilled meticulously to capture the
unique flavors of our surroundings, encourage people to
unwind and cherish moments with loved ones,” said Brian.
“As we prepare to introduce our craft to all of Georgia,
we’re thrilled to share a piece of Thomasville’s heart, one
slow, flavorful sip at a time.”
M AY/ J UNE 2024
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