Follow Up Interview with Mr. Robbie Delaney, Owner/Founder of Muddy River Distillery

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Q: Welcome back to “Got Rum?”!  I last interviewed you in June of 2021.  I understand many things have happened since then, what would you say has been the biggest?

Thank you for having me again, I’m glad to be back! Yes, we have been busy at Muddy River Distillery with lots of upcoming projects, but purchasing our new location, the Historic Mount Holly Cotton Mill and starting to restore it is by far the biggest thing happening.

Q: Wow! Congratulation on the new facility.  Most of us have experienced “growing pains” at some point in our lives.  Would you say the move to the bigger facility has been the most challenging thing you’ve faced besides the initial opening of your distillery?

Yes, it has definitely been the hardest thing besides opening the distillery. Trying to get a building with the economy the past few years was tough. We looked for about 2 years and made offers on a few different properties before this one. This building is special because it was built in 1875 and is on the National Historic Register. It’s a lot of paperwork having to work with local, state, and federal commissions and keeping within the constraints and getting approval for each change on the inside and out. We want to keep its historic integrity and it will be very cool once we complete renovations.

Q: But being in a larger facility has many perks.  You are now able to host different events.  Can you tell us more about them? 

Being able to host different events at our new location is going to be huge and something we are very excited about. We put on Cocktail Classes and 5-Course Cocktail Dinners in our current distillery but the space makes it slightly difficult. In the new location we will have several spaces dedicated to hosting events like the cocktail classes, 5-course dinners, private events, markets, live music, and festivals. With the bar and event space being about 4,500 square feet, the options are basically endless.

Q: Your cocktail classes sound like they are fun and very informative.  What would you say is the most popular cocktail students enjoy making and why?

The classes are a blast and our customers really love them! People really start to feel like bartenders once they learn how to make a couple of Muddy River cocktails. Not only are you making delicious cocktails, but we teach you bar tricks, too. Our Coffee Rum Old Fashioned is a student favorite, it’s a super easy cocktail where the flavors just blend together so nicely and unexpectedly. The recipe is on our YouTube!

Q: You also have a new area devoted to barrel aging.  What kinds of barrels are you using and do you have plans to add other types of barrels in the future?

Yes, we are finally building a rickhouse which is going to free up a lot of our production space! All of our barrels are virgin American White Oak, meaning we don’t reuse a barrel. This way, we maintain a consistent and unique flavor for our brand. We have some experiments in the works with different barrels, too, so stay tuned.

Q: I understand you all have been documenting the expansion on YouTube.  For those who would love to watch your documentary, how can they find it?

Everything is on our YouTube channel! You can find us by searching Muddy River Distillery. You’ll find not only the construction videos, but cocktail recipes, how we make rum videos, and so much more so definitely check it out! If there are specific things you want to see, just comment and let us know.

Q: In our previous interview you had custom-built your stills and you had a total of four stills: Freedom, Democracy, Liberty and Independence.  Have you added any new stills to the family?  If so, what size stills and do they also have cool names like the others?

We currently only have the four stills that you have listed, but we do have plans to add another one after we complete the project with the new building. We’ve got some names floating around in our heads to continue the theme we have going on. We have added a new 1,000 gallon fermentation tank that we have named Big Boss, after the brewery who sold us the tank.

Q: In our last interview you mentioned adding a coffee rum to your portfolio in celebration of your 10th year anniversary which was November 4, 2021.   First of all, congratulations for 10 years of hard work and success!!!  Did you ever launch this rum?  If so, can you tell us more about it?

Thank you so much! We just celebrated 11 years and we couldn’t be more excited for all the things we have accomplished and what is coming soon. Yes, we did release a Coffee Rum in November 2021 and it has been a big hit. We keep the ingredients simple. We use real coffee, from Javesca roasted locally in Charlotte, NC, our rum, and some sugar. It’s delicious!

Q: My goodness!  I love coffee and of course I love rum so what a great addition to your portfolio!  Are there particular cocktails you recommend for this rum?  Do you also serve these cocktails at your bar?

We always recommend a Coffee Rum Old Fashioned or espresso martinis! Both are simple and even tastier with the addition of Muddy River Rum! We have a large selection of cocktail recipes for the Coffee Rum on our YouTube channel as well. Currently we do not have a bar in our facility, but we will! After restorations, The Mount Holly Cotton Mill will include a 4,500 square foot cocktail bar and event space. You’ll be able to come in, get a drink, watch us make liquor below through a glass window, and listen to some music. We’ll have events throughout the year, too!

Q: In addition to the coffee rum you also had plans to develop an overproof rum, as well as a cask strength rum.  Did you ever launch these as well? If so, can you tell us more about these two?  Do you have a favorite cocktail for each of them?

We launched our Navy Strength Queen Charlotte’s Reserve which is bottled at 110proof! It’s the same Queen Charlotte’s Reserve you know and love, but with this release we’ve blended barrels of various ages and bottled at a higher proof than our other QCR lines. This way we have achieved a balanced barrel aged rum with inviting aromas, sweet, oaky flavors, and a pleasant warmth that lingers for around a minute after sipping. It’s an employee favorite. It’s just so smooth, something magical happens with our rum at this strength! It is a distillery exclusive, so come visit us to get it! We are still experimenting with the perfect cocktails, but you can’t go wrong with drinking this straight or on the rocks. As we’ve been playing around with it, we found it works extremely well in classic bourbon and whiskey cocktails. We shared a video on our YouTube talking about Navy Strength and showing how we bottled the first batch which is really cool to look back on. There are lots of cocktail recipes using Navy coming out soon, so make sure you’re subscribed!

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Follow us on social media to keep up with everything going on! You can find us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok @muddyriverdisitllery and on Facebook. Stop by the distillery for tours and tastings, and definitely visit us at our new location once we open up, hopefully early 2024! Thank you so much for having me again, cheers!

Margaret: Again Robbie, thank you so much for this opportunity, I wish you and your entire team all the best of luck.

Cheers!

Margaret Ayala,

Publisher of “Got Rum?”