Distillery tours
Distillery Tours in Georgia
Plan a distillery tour in Georgia: 10 distilleries to visit, with tastings and experiences you can book directly. Expect Bourbon, Craft Spirits, Rum and more. Highlights include Thirteenth Colony Distillery, ASW Distillery, Big Creek Distilling Co..
10distilleries
Richland Rum (Richland Distilling Company)
Estate-grown sugarcane rum from copper pots
About distillery tours in Georgia
Georgia's distilling story stretches from the live-oak streets of Savannah to the red-clay farmland of the state's southern reaches, and the craft scene that has grown up since the 2010s reflects that geographic spread. The single most distinctive thread is rum: Richland Rum, run by Richland Distilling Company, makes its single-estate spirit from cane grown and pressed on its own land near the town of Richland, with a second tasting room on the coast at Brunswick. Around Atlanta and Decatur you will find a grain-led cluster, where Independent Distilling Company and ASW Distillery work with Georgia corn and the warm climate that hurries barrels along. Up in the foothills, Lazy Guy Distillery in Kennesaw and Copper-pot newcomers keep the small-batch ethos alive, while Big Creek Distilling Co. and Moonrise Distillery add their own bottlings to the mix. Stitched together, these makers form a loose trail that rewards a road trip: warm southern hospitality, plenty of barrel-aged sipping spirit, and a refreshing willingness to do things the slow way. Treat the listings below as waypoints rather than a fixed route, and build an itinerary around the regions that interest you most.
Following the Georgia trail
Think of a Georgia distillery trip as three loosely linked legs. The metro-Atlanta leg is the easiest to tackle in a day or two: ASW Distillery and Independent Distilling Company sit within reach of one another, both leaning on Georgia grain and a hands-on approach to whiskey. From there the coastal leg pulls you toward Savannah, where Ghost Coast Distillery occupies a handsome warehouse near the river, and on to Brunswick, home to Richland Rum's second outpost. The third leg heads into the southwestern plains and the original Richland distillery, the spiritual heart of the state's rum tradition. You will not link all three in an afternoon, so pick a base, prioritise the makers you most want to taste, and let the drive between them become part of the experience.
Distilleries worth prioritising
If rum is your reason for coming, Richland Rum is non-negotiable, ideally at the original estate where the cane is grown. For grain spirits, ASW Distillery and Independent Distilling Company give a clear sense of how Georgia's heat shapes barrel-aged whiskey, while Thirteenth Colony Distillery (also seen as 13th Colony Distilleries) is a long-standing south-Georgia name worth seeking out. Around the northern suburbs, Lazy Guy Distillery and Big Creek Distilling Co. offer a more intimate, small-batch welcome. Ghost Coast Distillery is the obvious anchor for a Savannah visit, and Moonrise Distillery rounds out a tasting itinerary for anyone wanting variety.
Where to stay & eat nearby
Savannah is the natural overnight hub on the coastal leg, with historic-district inns, riverfront seafood and a walkable core that makes a designated-driver arrangement easy. Atlanta and neighbouring Decatur offer everything from boutique hotels to lively brewery-and-distillery districts, so you can pair a tasting with dinner without a long drive. In the southern plains around Richland and Brunswick, accommodation is more rural and small-town in character; book ahead, plan meals around local diners and barbecue, and treat the quieter pace as part of the charm rather than an inconvenience.
Frequently asked
- What is Georgia best known for distilling?
- Georgia is unusual in the American South for its single-estate rum, made by Richland Rum from cane grown on its own farmland. Alongside that you will find a healthy grain-whiskey scene around Atlanta, plus gin, vodka and the occasional brandy.
- Can I do a Georgia distillery trip in a single day?
- You can comfortably cover a cluster, such as the Atlanta and Decatur makers, in a day. Linking the metro area with the Savannah coast or the southern plains needs at least a weekend because of the driving distances involved.
- Do Georgia distilleries offer tours and tastings?
- Many do, including Ghost Coast in Savannah and Richland Rum at its two sites. Hours and formats vary widely between large urban distilleries and smaller rural ones, so check each maker's current schedule and book where required.
- Where should I base myself?
- Savannah suits a coastal-focused trip, Atlanta or Decatur works best for the grain-whiskey cluster, and a rural base near Richland makes sense if rum at the source is your priority.
- Is Richland Rum worth the drive into south Georgia?
- For rum enthusiasts, yes. Tasting a single-estate spirit where the cane is actually grown is a rare experience in the United States, and it gives real context to what is in the glass.
- What's the best time of year to visit?
- Spring and autumn bring the most comfortable weather for driving and walking between sites. Coastal Georgia summers are hot and humid, while the milder shoulder seasons make longer road-trip legs far more pleasant.