The story above is my report for UNC-TV’s nightly program “North Carolina Now.” The Mauney family is turning out some, literally, top-shelf gin in King’s Mountain, North Carolina. I really enjoyed their hospitality and was very impressed with Cardinal Gin’s smooth and rounded flavor. The Mauneys are absolutely correct when they say their gin is not a typical London Dry Gin. It isn’t. There are more herbs and botanicals in this style of “Western gin” than you can count and certainly detect on your palette. There’s no question the impact of the traditional ingredient, juniper berries, is prevalent but not dominant.
Southern Artisan Spirits is a family-owned business, which is also something I appreciate. It’s the ultimate in business risk-taking because the business must profit and the owners must get along personality-wise. Alex & Charlie Mauney are brothers who, I learned, are good cooks. Their partner is Jim Mauney – their father. Jim’s job and 33-year career ended during the outward migration of textile jobs from King’s Mountain, a common story with a plot that still doesn’t seem right to me.
At present moment, there are only a handful of distilleries producing a legal spirit in North Carolina. There are likely more than a handful of bootleggers but they don’t necessarily like being on a TV camera to tell their story. Cardinal Gin is the only gin made in NC so, if you try, remember that the company owners, “executives,” if you will, have distilled and bottled your drink. That’s customer service…..until they grow large enough to hire workers, which appears to be happening. Good luck, Guys!
Southern Artisan Spirits has also received attention from South Carolina media. The show “Around Carolina” on Time Warner Cable visited King’s Mountain and posted this profile TV story.
