The ground-breaking event for Burnt Church Distillery’s new facility in Bluffton was held in May 2019. Credit: SouthernCarolina Alliance.

The ground-breaking event for Burnt Church Distillery’s new facility in Bluffton was held in May 2019. Credit: SouthernCarolina Alliance.

 Burnt Church Distillery will launch Devil’s Elbow premium gin in March 2021. Credit: Burnt Church Distillery.

Burnt Church Distillery will launch Devil’s Elbow premium gin in March 2021. Credit: Burnt Church Distillery.

 The Bluffton distillery is expected to draw visitors from Hilton Head Island and Savannah. Credit: MoodyGroove at the English Wikipedia.

The Bluffton distillery is expected to draw visitors from Hilton Head Island and Savannah. Credit: MoodyGroove at the English Wikipedia.

Burnt Church Distillery is developing a new distillery at Bluffton Road in South Carolina, US. The company announced the distillery development in January 2019.

A ground-breaking ceremony for the new distillery was held in May 2019, while construction began in January 2020. The distillery will involve an investment of $10.3m and could create 27 jobs during its first year of operations and 42 jobs within five years.

Burnt Church Distillery filed an application with the Town of Bluffton for approval to annex its 1.14ha property in unincorporated Beaufort County into Bluffton’s town limits in October 2018. Approval was received in May 2019.

The distiller also secured a 4.5% reduction in tax assessment ratio from 10.5% to 6% from Beaufort County in September 2019.

A special VIP event will be held prior to the official opening of the distillery in March 2021.

Burnt Church Bluffton Whiskey distillery location

The production facility is located at 120 Bluffton Road, less than 1.6km from the centre of Old Town Bluffton. Featuring historical components, it will contribute to the region’s growing tourism industry and is expected to attract tourists from Hilton Head Island and Savannah.

Burnt Church Bluffton Whiskey distillery details

Spread across an area of 20,000ft², the distillery will reflect the history and culture of the South Carolina Lowcountry region. It will include a 7,000ft² tasting room, a manufacturing building, a 5,000ft² rick house to store whiskey barrels and a fast-casual pizza restaurant. The tasting room will serve the guests with the craft whiskey manufactured at the facility, as well as gin, vodka, moonshine.

Melanie Marks, a historian, was appointed to incorporate the historical elements of Burnt Church Road and Bluffton, in the distillery’s museum.

The production facility will manufacture, process and bottle a range of distilled spirits. The distillery has space to host events including the Bluffton Artisan Market, which will take place monthly starting from 14 March.

In addition to its architectural interpretation, the design will present stories related to the company’s brands of spirits.

Key players involved

Pearce Scott Architects, an architectural firm based in Bluffton, South Carolina, was appointed to design Burnt Church’s new distillery.

The project was supported by the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation (BCEDC) and the Don Ryan Centre for Innovation.

Product portfolio

Burnt Church Distillery’s product portfolio includes different varieties of spirits such as whiskey, gin, moonshine and vodka.

“The distiller also secured a 4.5% reduction in tax assessment ratio from 10.5% to 6% from Beaufort County in September 2019.”

The products include Anita’s Choice, Bluffton Whiskey, Palmer’s Stretch, Sin Eater, Burnt Church Vodka, Devil’s Elbow, and Sippin’ Saint.

The company also launched Amethyst, a non-alcoholic spirit, and made it available for sale across the nation, commencing with New York City. It plans to introduce Devil’s Elbow premium gin product offering and three other unique flavours in March 2021.

Marketing commentary on Burnt Church Distillery

Founded by two brothers, Billy and Sean Watterson, Burnt Church Distillery is a historical destination for the tourists and locals of South Carolina. Based out of Bluffton, South Carolina, the distillery aims to make authentic Lowcountry spirits.

Burnt Church Distillery is a Watterson Brands Company, which owns several companies including Red Fox Organics, g2 revolution, Knightshade, R3 Restoration, Martha’s Vineyard Interior Design, and g2 Canada.

A tour of the new distillery in the US is scheduled for 25 February 2021. Participants will have the opportunity to taste a collection of crafted bourbons and whiskeys.