Today we’d like to introduce you to William Bradner
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Started out as a hobby, perfecting distillation methods and recipes until we were satisfied that we could take this professionally. Rum was chosen from the start because we like rum haha.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being self taught in distilling, there were a lot of learning curves that we had to overcome. From failed ferments to disastrous flavoring and aging techniques. Once we learned the ropes and decided to form a business based around distilling rum, the biggest challenge came from local authorities. Being the first legal distillery in the county since prohibition, we were scrutinized in building codes and local laws. In fact, in was a 7 year journey to open our distillery from start to finish.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Sleeping Giant Distillery is the first legal distillery in York County since prohibition. That in itself is an accomplishment. We are family owned and operated and specialize in producing rum using Colombian sourced Panela (dried sugar can juice). We produce a variety of unique flavors, and usually have around 7 different kinds.
We enjoy doing one-off batches, whether it be for a special event, such as ChristmasVille or Historic Rock Hill’s Annual Oyster Roast, or by using unique barrels to fill with our rum. Every rum we make needs to be different and slightly against the norm, which is I think some of our charm, and what sets us apart. We have recently won some 2024 awards from Americas Best Spirit Awards and the South’s Best Spirit Awards for some of our rums:
-Spiced Rum – Americas Silver, South’s Gold
-Lemongrass & Vanilla Rum – America’s Bronze, South’s Silver
-Barrel Aged – Americas Gold, South’s gold, and Americas Best in State (SC)
We also offer a Silver Rum all the time, Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee Rum, ChristmasVille Spiced Maple Rum, and Carolina Beach Bum Rum. We have several rums aging in used Blackberry Brandy, Maple Syrup Cognac, Bourbon, and Port barrels.
We offer tours, tastings, bottle and merch sales on site. We have our rums in several local liquor stores and restaurants as well.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Fortunately, by the time we had opened we had avoided that.
Pricing:
- Rums – range from $32-$40 tax included
- Rum Flight – $14 tax included
- Merch – $3-28 tax included
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sleepinggiantdistillery.com
- Instagram: SleepingGiantDistillery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sleepinggiantdistillery/
