Downtown Winston-Salem has a quiet engine that turns grain, time, and hospitality into jobs and pride. It’s called Broad Branch Distillery. If you’ve ever wandered past their Trade Street tasting room on a Thursday — where the Old Fashioneds are only $5 — you’ve seen me at the bar. You see locals and visitors trading stories, a food truck humming outside, and an easy flow of commerce between nearby restaurants, bars, and shops. That’s not just a good night out; it’s what economic development looks like at street level.
I recently sat down with Broad Branch’s lead distiller, Don Jenkins, to talk about the craft behind the bottle and the long-term vision behind the brand. This isn’t a novelty operation. Broad Branch grinds its own grain, sources locally where possible, and ages whiskey in 53-gallon barrels — the standard used by Kentucky for a reason — then lets North Carolina’s climate do its patient work.
Their flagship rye, Rye Fidelity, took Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2023 — judged blind by more than 60 experts. Their Big Winston bourbon is bottled in bond. Quality is a non-negotiable: If it can’t be enjoyed neat, it doesn’t go in the bottle.
But quality alone can’t overcome outdated rules. North Carolina once led the country in distilling. In the early 1900s, hundreds of registered distilleries operated here before state-level prohibition arrived a decade ahead of the federal ban. We lost time, know-how, and brand identity while other states built global reputations. Today, our craft distillers are rebuilding that legacy in spite of a framework that still treats them like a risk to be contained rather than a growth sector to be cultivated.
To be clear, progress has been made. In just the past decade, state law moved from allowing one bottle per customer per year at a distillery, to five, to no annual cap. Tasting rooms can operate seven days a week, and bars are open Wednesday through Sunday at Broad Branch. Those changes matter. They’ve helped distillers generate more revenue in-house, hire more people, and welcome more visitors. But the reforms have been partial and slow, and they haven’t addressed the structural issues that keep North Carolina’s craft producers at a disadvantage versus peers across the country.
Here’s where sensible ABC modernization can unlock growth without compromising safety or public health:
- Right-size the excise tax for small producers. Craft distilling is capital-intensive: Grain, barrels, bottles, labels, and production time add up fast before a single dollar comes back. Tiered excise rates that scale with production would give North Carolina makers the runway to expand, hire, and compete across state lines.
- Make distribution more flexible. Our state control model limits how quickly craft products can reach customers in and beyond North Carolina. Targeted pilot programs that test private distribution partnerships would help homegrown spirits get onto more back bars and retail shelves. The goal isn’t to blow up the system; it’s to build sensible on-ramps for small, premium producers who can’t out-muscle national brands but can out-quality them.
- Modernize on-premise rules. The pandemic proved we could innovate responsibly with cocktails-to-go and expanded outdoor service. Let’s keep going. Thoughtful happy-hour flexibility, clearer tasting-room guidelines, and simpler event approvals would let distilleries do more of what already works: host pairings with local chefs (like Broad Branch’s recent dinner at the Kimpton).
- Streamline compliance without lowering standards. Ask any small producer where the bottlenecks are and you’ll hear the same thing: paperwork and process. We can maintain robust safeguards while simplifying repetitive filings, standardizing label approvals, and giving producers one clear digital portal for ABC interactions.
- Tell the story we used to own. Before prohibition, if you wanted whiskey, then you came to North Carolina. Tourism authorities and economic-development leaders should partner with craft producers on events and statewide marketing that pull together distilleries, restaurants, breweries, and venues.
For those worried about alcohol abuse, visit a modern craft distillery before you judge. Broad Branch isn’t a place where underage drinkers lurk in the shadows. It’s where enthusiasts compare notes on mash bills and barrel finishes, where tastings are measured and educational, where staff emphasize responsible enjoyment. The culture is about sharing, pairing, and elevating moments — not overconsumption. If anything, craft spaces are precisely where you want consumers to learn what “moderation with quality” looks like in practice.
When a brand like Broad Branch releases a new line — Tradecraft, a master-blended series launching with a 13-barrel introductory release — it isn’t just a new label; it’s months of work for printers, bottlers, and logistics firms. When they plan special drops — cask-strength rye, a six-year rum, an anniversary rye and bourbon, an 11½-year “wood exploration” experiment, even a much-anticipated chocolate-finished bourbon — those releases become mini-events that bring people back repeatedly throughout the year.
I’m inviting members of the General Assembly who cares about small business to come see it firsthand. Walk the floor. Tour the barrels. Sit in the tasting room on a busy night and watch the spillover onto Trade Street. Ask the staff what a tiered excise tax would mean for hiring. Ask a visiting couple why they built their weekend around a tour. Ask a bartender how often a first sip turns into a restaurant reservation down the block.
North Carolina can be a top-of-mind spirits state again. We already have the talent, the terroir, and the tourism appeal. Common sense ABC reforms — such as right-sized taxes, flexible distribution, modern on-premise rules, streamlined compliance, and coordinated communication — will help to ensure we don’t bottle up our own potential.
The next time someone asks where to find exceptional American whiskey, I want the response to be the same our great-grandparents gave: Come to North Carolina.
