Community is the Reason Rye

After years in the making, Brad Halling American Whiskey Ko. (BHAWK) is opening its doors to the public Friday. Before you go crazy, it’s opening at a limited capacity — the staff needs time to gear up for the days ahead.

Inside Moore County’s first distillery you’ll find a bottle/merch shop, a full bar and small food menu. There are currently four bottles for sale: Sergeant’s Valor Bourbon, Sergeant’s Valor Rye, Madam Colonel’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Madam Colonel’s Pistachio Bourbon Cream Liqueur. Yes, you read that last one right.

You’ll find a museum dubbed the Gratitude Room, featuring the story of the battle of Mogadishu, which Brad lived through. “We want people to know that when they come here, it’s real. The stories … it’s not just marketing for bourbon,” says Brad.

There is a ledger inside the distillery where visitors can write the name of a fallen hero. Every day at 4 p.m., a staff member will bring the book out to the flagpole and say their names. “It’s not meant to be something sad,” says Brad, “It’s remembering the opportunity we had to spend with these souls, these heroes.”

The distillery is still in the soft opening phases so hours aren’t fully set, but you can see this weekend’s hours here, and book tours and other experiences online.