Distilleries in Alabama

Dread River Distilling Company

Birmingham, Alabama

Spirits Born of Brave Beginnings

Dread River Distilling Co sits on a rough patch of Birmingham, Alabama, born from a group of veterans who thought adversity was a great excuse to make whisky.

Its flagship Straight Bourbon – a mash of corn, wheat and malted barley – refuses to be tamed, offering a nose of burnt sugar and a finish that screams “I’ve worked hard to get this right.” The Double-Barrel-Aged Agave Spirit swaps native cactus for sherry-coated bourbon barrels, delivering a dry, smoky punch.

A gutted warehouse becomes a cultural hotspot, where knowledgeable guides lead you through the open layout, and the tasting room lets you pair a signature whiskey burger with a dram. Staff are enthusiastic, and their expertise beats a university professor on yeast.

The atmosphere is less about polish and more about genuine craft; a row of oak barrels glows in the dim light, and the kitchen runs a rotating menu that includes the legendary whiskey-spiked burger, with flair.

Why we love this distillery

Unique spirits with intriguing backstories
Excellent staff with kind and welcoming demeanor
Amazing tasting experience with knowledgeable guides
Delicious food options, including signature whiskey burger
Open layout with ample space and comfortable atmosphere

What visitors love

Dread River Distilling Company is praised for its exceptional hospitality, where staff members are known for their kindness and welcoming nature. The venue's unique atmosphere, stunning decor, and top-notch service make it an ideal spot for events and dates.

Murder Creek Distillery

Foley, Alabama

Handcrafted flavors steeped rich history

In the unforgiving mudflats of Foley, Alabama, where the river’s murky name makes a snappy headline, Murder Creek Distillery refuses to be another sleepy speakeasy. They’ve taken the region’s rough heritage and boiled it into real, handcrafted moonshine rather than just some bottled buzz.

Every batch comes from their on-site stills, no corporate. The menu is a laugh-and-bludgeon of novelty: “Dixie Dizzy Pickle” for those who like their whiskey a little funky, and “Southern Cherry Bombs” for the sweet-toothed who refuse to surrender their palate to bitterness. The spirit is pure, high-proof, and straight out of the pot, making for a brilliant base for cocktails or a dram on its own.

At £5 you can sample five shots, a deal that screams, “Why would I ever buy a car when I can have this?” There’s a sweet and a no-sweet option, so even the most puritanical still has a place.

Why we love this distillery

Five shot tasting for $5
Unique flavors not found elsewhere
In-house production of moonshine products
Straight, high-proof moonshine available for mixing drinks
Variety of sweet and no-sweet options

What visitors love

Murder Creek Distillery offers an exceptional moonshine experience with a vast selection of unique flavors and top-notch staff. Visitors praise the quality, variety, and welcoming atmosphere, making it a standout local destination for moonshine enthusiasts.

John Emerald Distilling Company

Opelika, Alabama

Family-Crafted Southern Whiskey Tradition

Picture a distillery in Opelika, Alabama claiming to outshine Southern legends. John Emerald Distilling Company is genuinely family-crafted, using 100 % malted barley smoked over peach and pecan wood. The result feels like a warm hug from a granddad who knows his craft, with a boldness that challenges the palate.

Tours run through every step, and the staff's knowledge is the sort that would make an old-fashioned bourbon-snob swoon. They throw in spiced rum, and the Barrel Club lets you bottle your own batch and claim you’re the next big thing.

Cocktails are invented on the fly – a Whiskey Sour that looks like a lifetime, and if you’re after novelty, barrel staves are available as a souvenir. It isn’t chasing novelty; it’s making history.

Their philosophy? Adventure meets tradition in each bottle, a blend of hospitality and craftsmanship that keeps the spirit of South alive. Dram feels like a discovery.

Why we love this distillery

Unique cocktails made on-site daily
In-depth tour offers insight into craft process
Barrel staves offered as a souvenir option
Spiced rum is part of their offerings
Knowledgeable staff provide detailed tastings

What visitors love

Customers praise John Emerald Distilling Company for its unique cocktails, friendly staff, family-friendly atmosphere, and knowledgeable tours. They appreciate the insight into craft distillation and reasonable prices for quality products, offering a great value experience.

Keel and Company Distilling Inc

Headland, Alabama

Craft distillery with live music and diverse spirits

Keel & Company Distilling Inc sits in Headland, Alabama, and refuses to let the small-town feel get to its head. Their rye proves American grain can still be respectable without a smug bow — pepper-spiced, smooth, no pretentiousness, just quality. The master brewer swears his family recipe is protected like secret burger sauce; a splash of rum, a pinch of moonshine, a whisper of gin turns the rye into a passport to other worlds, all still unequivocally American. The tasting room is a wooden bar with a food-truck line on weekends, and live music on the outdoor porch that expands into a sprawling seating area locals treat like home. In short, this place gets the craft right, keeps the quality high, and offers a place to drink without having to apologise for not being a professional, with no pretence and all authenticity, a refuge where drama is left on the bar shelf.

Why we love this distillery

Distills spirits from old family secret recipe.
Offers on-site distilled liquors for tasting.
Features live music at outdoor venue.
Has a large outside area with seating.
Master brewer creates Folklore beers on site.

What visitors love

Keel and Company Distilling Inc offers a unique experience with its secret recipes, food truck, and Folklore beers on tap. Visitors praise the venue's great atmosphere, friendly staff, and live music, making it a popular spot for entertainment in lower Alabama.

Dawson Distillery

Leighton, Alabama

Alabama's First Legal Moonshine Legacy

Leighton, Alabama – home of the state’s first legal moonshine factory, Dawson Distillery. It’s a monument to the idea that whisky should be produced, not smuggled. The real selling point isn’t the raw spirit – it’s the water. A pure mountain spring fed from a national historic site tastes like heaven compared to the municipal tap. They bottle LaGrange Mountain Spirits with the precision of a watchmaker, not a drunken apprentice.

The owners welcome tastings of fresh flavours and are even willing to mix black-pepper-infused sugar-cane mash – a contrarian twist most distilleries politely refuse. Inside, a no-frills setting of a wooden bar, pine-stained barrels, and the faint scent of fermenting corn evokes Prohibition-era grit without pretension.

Patrons swear by the genuine authenticity and unpretentious spirit that set Dawson apart from generic, tourist-oriented places. It’s a place for those who love a bit of craft and a soft history.

Why we love this distillery

Offers unique moonshine flavors.
Friendly, sociable owners.
Distillery has an authentic atmosphere.
Tastings available for new flavors.
Owners willing to test unusual flavor combinations.

What visitors love

Dawson Distillery is known for its welcoming atmosphere, friendly owners, and exceptional moonshine offerings, including unique flavors like watermelon and peach. Visitors rave about the distillery's authenticity, generous sampling, and storytelling experience.

Hoochie Hooch Distillery

Kinsey, Alabama

Women-Led Craft Distillery Specializing in Flavorful Small-Batch Moonshine

If moonshine is usually a cheap bucket-kick, the Kinsey, Alabama operation Hoochie Hooch shows it can be sophisticated, hand-crafted and a proper reason to drink responsibly for your taste buds.

Run by Jenifer Wyatt, who swapped a nursing badge for a copper still, she proves that women's craft can be as precise as a scalpel, yet still heart-warmingly rebellious today.

Their range stretches from apple-pie mellow to banana-moonshine cheek, and a genuinely peachy batch that feels less like liquor and more like summer in a glass for taste buds everyday.

Batches are produced in hand-rolled cauldrons, an homage to age-old techniques, yet with a splash of modern branding that keeps the spirit fresh without selling out authenticity for modern drinks.

They even make sipping creams, body butters, and tees that look like they were designed by a marketing genius, while staff explain every grain-to-glass step like seasoned wizards.

Why we love this distillery

Distillery has variety of moonshine flavors.
Unique products like sipping creams and body butters.
Actual peaches used in peach-flavored moonshine.
Wide selection of products, including apparel.
Genuine and knowledgeable staff share process details.

What visitors love

Reviewers praised Hoochie Hooch Distillery for its warm welcome, engaging tours, wide variety of flavors, and high-quality products such as moonshine, sipping creams, body butters, and sugar scrubs, all made with genuine passion and a desire to support local businesses.