Richland Estate, artisan producers of Richland Rum, and the Downtown Development Authority of the City of Brunswick, jointly announced today the establishment of a new Rum Distillery in the City of Brunswick. The new 6,400 Sq Ft facility will be housed in a renovated landmark building in the City’s historic downtown district and will offer public tours and tastings. Preparations for the renovation and construction project are under way with an estimated early 2017 completion date.

Authentic Rum Craftsmanship In Historic Coastal Setting

The new Distillery – Richland Estate’s second – will craft Virgin Coastal Georgia Rum, an un-aged or ‘Virgin’ variety of the Estate’s award winning Old South Georgia Rum, currently made in Richland, GA. The Brunswick Distillery will apply the same time honored artisan techniques and use the same hand built copper pot stills as the Richland Distillery to handcraft Rum, but will not age the Virgin Rum multiple years in oak barrels. Maintaining Richland Rum’s Unique ‘Single Estate’ status, also the Brunswick Distillery will strictly source pure, unrefined cane syrup from the company’s own sugar cane plantation near Richland, GA.

“Since inception, in 1999, we have been solely focused on hand crafting one product – our award winning Old South Georgia Rum - from field to glass in Richland, Georgia” said Erik Vonk, Richland Estate’s proprietor. “That is where we grow, cultivate and process our own sugar cane on our own plantation and where we ferment, distill, age and bottle on site.” He continued: “The Brunswick Distillery will allow us to add a long requested and expected second expression, Virgin Coastal Georgia Rum, made from our own cane, while staying true to our principle of ‘Single Purpose Distilling’ by staying focused on crafting one single product in each facility. Plus, the Coastal setting and the ambiance offered by historic down town Brunswick fit so well with the artisan signature of the Richland Rum brand.”

Downtown Facility Open To Public For Tours, Tastings, Educational Purposes

Similar to the company’s existing Distillery in Richland, the new facility in Brunswick has been designed to facilitate a completely open view of all artisan processes during public tours and educational events. Tours guided by Distillery personnel provide insight into all aspects of artisan crafting of Rum, tailored to the objectives or requirements of the tour guests. All Distillery visitors will have an opportunity to learn about authenticity in hand crafting Rum directly from pure unrefined sugar cane juice, while observing every step in detail.

Successful Public -Private Endeavor

Selection of Brunswick as the location for the company’s second Distilling facility and the realization of the project is the direct result of close collaboration between Brunswick’s Downtown Development Authority and the owners of Richland Estate. The new facility enables the company to realize its expansion plans while giving new purpose to a currently unused building, in line with the objectives of the Development Authority.

Peggy Parrish, Chairman of Brunswick Downtown Development Authority commented: “We, have been working diligently on this project for approximately a year. The endeavor is exemplary of a public-private partnership utilizing a Downtown Development Authority and it’s abilities to assist and encourage business ventures within our core business district area. We welcome the addition of Richland Rum to Historic Downtown Brunswick; it certainly will be an immense asset in reaching our city’s full potential.”

Mathew Hill, Downtown Development Authority’s Executive Director, said that he expects that Richland Estate’s new Brunswick Distillery will offer employment opportunities, draw tourism and generate tax revenues. He added: “Distilleries are travel destinations and Richland Rum’s new facility meets the Authority’s objective to draw visitors and commerce to Downtown Brunswick.”