Daufuskie Island Distillery: From Ferry to Flask

The story of Daufuskie Island, says Jeremey Quinn, master distiller at Daufuskie Island Distillery, is getting to the island and then doing something you never expected to do.

That explanation encapsulates the spirit and spirits of Daufuskie Island Distillery, which is improbably celebrating its 10th anniversary on this tiny barrier island off the coast of South Carolina, where the number of residents swells from 400 to 4000 during the summer season.

One of the very few island distilleries in the country, this year the stillhouse boasts a new warehouse, expanded indoor bar space, and is serving lunch and dinner on its deck. Founder Tony Chase initially crafted rum to embody an island vibe; he’s added vodka, bourbon, and distillery tours, and distributes products throughout South Carolina.

Products

A hallmark of their rum, which uses demerara sugar, is that it offers more complexity and full-bodied flavor, says Quinn, compared to other white rums. “We’re not pushing the alcohol content so high to erase the flavor,” he explains. I tasted the vanilla rum, made with house-made vanilla extract. It is intoxicating.

Hair Of The Dog Vodka — the name and idea to produce it suggested by Chase’s wife, Kristi — debuted in 2018. It too is made with sugarcane, which was unusual at that time. Quinn says it’s especially crisp and clean. He proudly shares the story of how a commercial vodka distiller took home multiple bottles. The blueberry lavender version, with its amethyst tinge, has been a best seller since its release.

Chase hails from Kentucky, so a traditional, three-grain bourbon, released in 2019, is the distillery’s third spirit. The ready-to-drink old-fashioned is particularly smooth, and says Quinn, is hugely popular.

Background

The pair prides themselves on using mostly American made products; initially it was one hundred percent American, but that has been altered slightly as a result of the pandemic and natural disasters. Their sugarcane is grown in Florida, blueberry-lavender syrup produced in South Carolina, and their copper stills were crafted in Alabama.

The distillery is Chase’s “retirement project.” He’s a former pharmacist and entrepreneur with an interest in healthcare. En route to meet a realtor to look at a retirement home, he discovered the only way to get to the island was via ferry and that a golf cart is required to get around. He and Kristi bought anyway and wound up living on Daufuskie Island full-time.

Situated at a charming, secluded spot, the distillery and it’s inviting deck face a picturesque pond framed by oak trees gracefully decorated with Spanish moss. There’s a slow pace to the island. Golf cart drivers pass with a friendly wave on sandy dirt roads, and few businesses dot the area. People figure out not how often can they leave for the mainland, but how infrequently they can do so, says Quinn, for example buying groceries in bulk.

He and his wife were captivated by the island after visiting his mother-in-law there and moved from the Midwest with their children for the slower pace. Quinn, an exercise physiologist with a background in sports medicine, physical therapy, and neurological disorders, figured he could offer his services to residents who would then not have to ferry to the mainland.

Quinn and Chase first became friends during cleanup after Hurricane Matthew. Nearly three years ago, Chase invited him to come on board as his successor, promising to teach him about distilling. Quinn’s science background proved helpful. A quick study who loves learning a new thing, he had also done some distilling and wine-making with friends; they were all interested in good alcohol.

Similarly, Chase is mostly self-taught. He made the jump from chemistry to microbiology, employing his background as a pharmacist in an era when pharmacists still did compounding, and had taken a course in rum making.

The Island Way

The distillery’s success is endemic of the island and its low country Geechee Gullah traditions, says Quinn, of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and making your own way. “We’re connected to the island in a huge way,” he says. “Living in the community and surviving with everybody else and finding their way through what it’s like to have some economy and opportunity on the island itself.”

The expansion illustrates this; the new bar, custom-built by Quinn and Chase, stretches 24 feet and allows three bartenders to work together with ease during the frenzy of the summer season, spring break through Labor Day. Being able to have a kitchen, now run by a chef who had cooked on Daufuskie Island for many years, solidifies the distillery’s standing as a unique destination in a place that has few; most are historic or naturally beautiful.

Over time and with incremental growth, Daufuskie Island Distillery has gained a foothold in the area. Now the pair doesn’t even consider closing in the off-season. Since opening at the end of 2014, the spirit house has almost doubled, from 1500 square feet to 2800 and production has increased nearly four times to nearly 25,000 bottles a year.

Spirits, TravelLiz Susman KarpOctober 14, 2024distillery, rumComment