South Carolina’s High Wire Distilling Co.

Small batch spirits made in the heart of Charleston!

New York City’s Astor Wines & Spirits dubbed High Wire Distilling one of the “most important and exciting new distillers in America.”

High Wire Distilling Co.

The First Distillery in Charleston Since Prohibition

Scott Blackwell’s first venture was his Immaculate Baking Company. After he sold it to General Mills, he and Anne Marshall started looking for their next adventure. Distilling just seemed to be in the air. And eventually, the two jumped at the chance to combine their passion for entrepreneurship with their love of artisan spirits.

Scott trained at the Culinary Institute of America with a focus on baking. His culinary background provides a different lens from which to view craft distilling. This altered focus led Scott and Anne to Anson Mills, which specializes in organic heirloom grains. There, Glenn Roberts introduced them to an ear of almost-extinct corn called Jimmy Red.

The Remarkable Jimmy Red

Jimmy Red Corn began as a whisper and slowly began to rumble across the culinary and distilling worlds. This burgundy-red landrace corn, flint hard, with an oily germ, was once used by moonshiners on James Island in South Carolina. But as the moonshiners died out, so did their corn.

Jimmy Red Corn

Southern farmer and seed saver Ted Chewning was gifted the only known cobs. Ted rescued the corn, Glenn showed it to Scott and Anne, and the six-year journey of creating a secure supply of Jimmy Red began.

Jimmy Red is an open pollinator. That means keeping the strain pure is an arduous process of securing the silks and tassels (the male and female bits) and then hand pollinating them. But the work is worth it. There isn’t another bourbon corn like it.

In an interview with Small Farmer’s Journal, Scott said, “It behaves like no other corn I’ve distilled. The pearls of oil on the distillate taste of marzipan and light cherry — not corn.”

The Distillery

High Wire’s distillery and tasting room are located in a 6,000 sq. ft. warehouse in downtown Charleston. The rustic building has 20ft tall ceilings in the production area. It’s perfect for showcasing their hand-hammered copper still. And the tasting room has large windows from which visitors can enjoy a view of the production floor before or after their tours.

Tasting Room at 311 Huger St. of High Wire Distilling Co.

The Spirits

New Southern Revival Brand Jimmy Red Straight Bourbon Whiskey - 95 Proof

High Wire’s flagship spirit that put them on the map, New Southern Revival Brand Jimmy Red, is a 100 percent Jimmy Red Corn Straight Bourbon whiskey. It is aged in virgin American oak barrels with a 3.5 char (45 seconds) and aged for a minimum of 2 years.

Jimmy Red barrels turned 2 years old 

Since it is unlike anything else on the market, reviews are mixed as palates adapt. The flavor combination is not what’s usually found in a corn-heavy bourbon. Tasting notes mention graham cracker, maple, and cinnamon flavors with a creamy mouthfeel.

WhiskyCast said the 2019 release was "intense, yet well-rounded with white pepper and chili powder spices balanced by honey, molasses, vanilla, and oak in the background." They gave it a score of 94 points.

Hat Trick Extraordinary Fine Botanical Gin  - 88 Proof

We are always a sucker for a new gin, and Hat Trick doesn’t disappoint with its well-balanced botanicals and long finish.

It is made by crushing botanicals, including juniper berries from the Pacific Northwest, and fresh lemon and orange peel. These are offset with cardamom, angelica root, coriander, and licorice root. It makes Fine Botanical Gin a complicated gin worth sipping.

Fine Botanical Gin - Flavors of Folly Beach with a gin & tonic

The Gin is In found Hat Trick to have “a lot of complexity, and a good deal of balance as well. Each note segues into the next elegantly and smoothly. The finish is clean and refreshing, even neat, with barely a touch of heat to overwhelm it. I’m quite impressed and quite a fan, even though I do not know objectively which botanicals are in here, there’s a lot going on.”

New Southern Revival Brand Rye Whiskey - 90 Proof 

Another member of the Hat Trick family with heirloom roots is their Rye. It’s made with 100 percent Wrens Abruzzi Rye. Wrens Abruzzi was developed in Georgia in 1953 from a much older Abruzzi rye. Wrens was refined by selecting the Abruzzi, which grew and produced well in colder climates.

Wrens Abruzzi made with heirloom Abruzzi rye with a funky, nutty, honey character

The rye is unmalted, which is unusual, and there is no age statement for this release. But rye whiskey must be aged in charred oak barrels, and few distillers that we’ve profiled age for less than six months.

Their mash bill for their Rye has changed from 25 percent heirloom corn and 75 percent Wrens Abruzzi rye to their current 100 percent rye. So when you are buying, keep an eye out for the mash bills--the experience will be different.

Flaviar found the earlier release of their Straight Rye Whiskey to have an aroma of warm hazelnuts and almonds, with pumpkin spice and caramel. Those notes continue in the taste profile with more “warming spice with another dose of roasting nuts and s’mores.”

Always Searching for Something Special

Scott and Anne haven’t stopped with their Jimmy Red Bourbon or Wrens Abruzzi Rye Whiskey. They are constantly searching out unusual ingredients and trying new things.

This dedication is found in their Apothecary. Here, they can do small-scale experiments with different mash bills and botanicals.

The Southeastern Dispatch reported in 2021 that High Wire has joined with Allan Benton (known for his Smoky Mountain Hams). Together, they are smoking batches of Jimmy Red. The final spirit is an unaged corn whiskey which will be very different from their flagship Jimmy Red. This sold out at the Distillery, and it takes a little searching, but it can still be found online. Just search for High Wire x Benton’s Smoked Corn Whiskey.

High Wire and Benton’s Smoked Corn Whiskey

For more about what makes a whiskey a whiskey, mash bills, and distilling, check out our Ultimate Guides to Corn, Rye, or Bourbon.

Final Notes

High Wire keeps experimenting and pushing the envelope on artisanal distilling. What will Scott and Anne come up with next? Whatever it is, we are sure it will be spectacular.

Have a High Wire story for us? A favorite cocktail that goes well with Jimmy Red, the Rye, or their Botanical Gin? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

~ Cheers!