Nestled deep in cozy Cannonborough, a neighborhood in downtown Charleston, SC, a chef concocts a sorghum-honey glaze for his new dish while he pairs sorghum vodka for his hand crafted cocktails at The Grocery, a restaurant right off of King Street. Natural as this may seem for a chef to do, community and the sharing in stories has already occurred. The upper boroughs of Charleston contain artists ready to collaborate and commune over their same passions. 

The culinary community of Charleston is ever growing and ever changing which is the primary reason why Scott Blackwell, the owner of High Wire Distilling Co. and Brent Stephens owner of Charleston Distilling Co. brought their ideas and passion to downtown Charleston, SC. Although High Wire Distilling Co.  and Charleston Distilling Co. are both distilleries on King Street their ideas, brands, visions, and owners are completely different in their own unique way. Yet, they both testify to the incredibly close culinary community within the city of Charleston as professed by both of the owners. When Brent graduated from law school in 2009 he longed for a creative process he could see start to finish and find satisfaction in fruition which is what led him to get into the industry of distilling.

Stephen’s desire and passion came from his unknown discovery with distilling. He wanted to find a craft where he could settle down in a city which he found in Charleston. At Charleston Distilling Co. their main focus is keeping their company and products completely local.

“Our vodka and gin grain are locally unique because it incorporates micro-brewing in the process,” explains Stephens, “because micro-brewing is all grain to bottle and farm to bottle as a result of local control of ingredients.” Inside their distillery located on 501 King Street, Stephens describes their grain to bottle process where they distill the rye as pure as possible. This allows their vodka to be more pure and their gin to have more depth because they do not sacrifice the flavor of the grain. Their first 100% pure whiskey will be made this Fall and in April and May their newest venture is their peach liquor. “We have 30 pounds of ginger for the liquor, we shell it, and toast it,” Stephen describes “ because all the natural flavors come out into the peach liquor.”  Natural processes are so essential to their company.  Their main concern is for their customers to know where their alcohol comes because the vast majority does not and they intend to change this.

At only 19 Scott Blackwell, the now owner of High Wire Distilling Co., began his entrepreneurial path of coffee, espresso, and pre-baked cookies that lead him on the path to success. He eventually sold to General Mills and was looking for a new area to explore within the culinary world. Blackwell explained that his love for curating a certain flavor or formula came to fruition through his experience with layered chocolate bars which made him think he wanted to get into brewing but took a turn to distilling. His unique process lies in using organic, GMO free, and specialty heirloom grains which celebrate the revival of the grains. High Wire’s target customers are not the masses. Instead, they are the cocktail culinary enthusiasts that want a luxury experience. 

“Craft distilling in the U.S. is a lot of smoke and mirrors in the business-you don’t have to disclose how you actually make the products,” explains Blackwell,  “to us the making of products are really important. Having hands touch it is really important.” 

Location and creativity go hand in hand to make High Wire Distilling Co. who it is today. The edgy atmosphere of Upper King Street make the company come to life. Scott says that he likes being in a town that mentally challenges him. Ultimately, Blackwell’s purpose in Charleston for High Wire Distilling Co. is the community: “The culinary community here is very open-minded and they seem to really experience local business . It is a good home base because it is not just about the money. The community will pat on the back when you succeed and won’t  kick dirt in your face when you struggle.” 

Brent Stephens and Scott Blackwell both have very different experiences and stories that have led them to where they are today which is why both of their companies can coexist in the same city. Charleston is getting a lot of attention as a brand, a brand for hospitality, a brand for great food and beverages, and most of all a brand of community which both individuals have found through distilling.