Happy Independence Day weekend. Among the first businesses in our country was the distillery business. The daddy of our country, George Washington acquired the largest distillery in the country at Mt. Vernon. Honoring this, excursion to the Richland Rum Distillery in Richland Georgia we made a.
Richland, Georgia is 140 kilometers North of Tallahassee and 140 mls South of Atlanta. We began around 8:00 am and after going for a leisurely drive on a lovely summer months day we made it around 11:00 am. From Tallahassee it is a right shot to Richland up US 27 almost. You need to be careful driving in Georgia since they take speeding seriously, so we traveled anywhere between 35-65 miles each hour going up. The people at Richland Rum have the only Estate Rum procedure in the United States.
That means that they grow the sugarcane grind it, make it into syrup, and create the rum. They control the whole process from begin to finish. They have transferred their operation using their farm 10 miles South of Richland to the old business district around. They have renovated several structures from the 1900s and transformed them into the distillery and the barrel rooms.
Tours are offered most weekdays and on Saturdays by appointment. We did not have a scheduled appointment, however they were offering trips because of the holiday. We got there and met one of the owners. The owners are a wife and husband team and know their stuff. We asked plenty of questions plus they were responded by them with the passion they put into their art.
As with any distillery, the smells are amazing. A complete sensory overload. The fermentation process creates the majority of the smells though the aging process increases the scents. The stills are and are artwork there. Following the distillation and fermentation area we saw the barrel room. They use new oak barrels created from Wisconsin oak.
Coopered and charred in Kentucky. The rum is aged in the casks for 4 years. After that we went to tasting the ultimate product. It was the best sipping rum I have tasted. Very easy and very nice. We had to get some good to take home. Now Georgia does not let them sell rum.
On the other hands they can sell enhanced trips. We purchased the enthusiasts set improved tour. If you are in the certain area, drop by Richland Rum. A Facebook is got by them page you can follow as well. One other thing about Richland is that is is 10 miles or so from Plains, GA.
Home of previous president Jimmy Carter. He has even been there and has authorized a barrel to be sold when ready and aged for charity. Since we were in a nearby, we continued right down to Plains to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Home National Park. We did not spend a lot of time since it was 95 degrees, and 95 percent dampness but we do have a few photos.