Raleigh Rum Company is celebrating their First Anniversary, and fans across the Triangle are excited to see that the popular spiritmaker has thrived and succeeded in the past year. More and more of NC is becoming aware of the growing amount of local distilleries and the quality products which they are creating.
“Our first year has been overwhelming. We’ve doubled our production capacity and have had to constantly ramp up our inventory and operations to meet demand. It’s crazy to think that this started with three old high school friends that decided to take a chance on a relatively new market in NC. It’s truly evidence that hard work and following your passion can lead to amazing things.” states owner, Chris Mendler. Raleigh Rum Company was founded by Matthew Grossman, John Benefiel, and Chris Mendler, all who grew up in Apex, NC together and attended local universities. They launched their initial White Rum in early 2015 and a Spiced Rum at the start of 2016. “We have plans for the future release of new rum products that customers have been waiting patiently for, but our main focus is to stay consistent with our base products that are of the highest quality and hopefully demonstrate the value of local craft spirits over the bland and artificially flavoured commercial products. We hope to begin the push for local bar and restaurant owners to feature local cocktails made from spirits that we proudly create right down the street from them”, added Mendler.
North Carolina has recently progressed slightly forward with the laws that control liquor sales from distilleries, allowing NC distilleries to sell a single bottle of product per year to each tour guest at their establishment. “This is a baby step in the right direction for NC, it has helped our business, but it is still very limited in its impact and makes it difficult for the small craft distillers to see a profit from their hard work.”, noted Mendler. Raleigh Rum Company has a free tour every Saturday at 2:00pm that includes a tasting. Their products are available at most ABC stores in the Triangle area and also throughout NC.
To celebrate the anniversary, the distillery is hosting a special free tour and tasting event with music, vendors, and Cousins Maine Lobster food truck will be there to feed the rum enthusiasts. The special event is Thursday July 7th, 2016 from 5:009:00pm.
To learn more, visit www.raleighrumcompany.com or email info@raleighrumcompany.com
