Letter from the Founder, Austin Creel:

It’s October 2, 2024, and I am knee-deep in preparation for our most important month of the year. October marks the start of Q4, which is the busiest time of year for Sweet Home and distilleries alike. We have our specialty fall batches to launch, barrels to open, and tastings to schedule. We also have an extra bonus this year—our current Leeds distillery neighbor, Atrox, is preparing for their season, which gives us a nice boost of foot traffic at the distillery.

With all of this happening, I was overwhelmed with feelings last week while bottling our Sweet Home Divided. As I looked down at the mahogany hue of the whiskey, it represented the entire journey of this endeavor to me: the dream of creating my own Alabama-style whiskey, the support I’ve received from the industry, community, friends, and family, the petrifying doubts about whether this product would ever turn out right, the mistakes made along the way, and the pride I now feel that this whiskey has finally opened up as a hope for the future. It has been years in the making—quite literally in the aging of these barrels, but also in the understanding of this business and what we aim to represent at Sweet Home.

We proudly stamp ‘Product of Alabama’ on the seal because this product truly represents what Alabama has to offer:

• Labels made in Irondale, AL
• Boxes made in Anniston, AL
• 45% of mash from Alabama Row Corn in Hamilton, AL
• Graphic Artist from Birmingham, AL
• Distilled at Dread River Distilling Co. in Birmingham, AL
• Promotional materials made in Homewood, AL
• Owners from Bluff Park, AL
• Aged, finished, and bottled at Sweet Home Spirits in Leeds, AL

When you purchase a Sweet Home Divided bottle at an ABC store, Sweet Home Distillery, or a private package store, just remember that 96% of that money stays in Alabama. We only outsource the non-Hamilton grains, the bottle, and the cork. Every purchase keeps the Sweet Home storyline alive and supports many Alabama businesses and individuals along the way.

I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who purchased a bottle of Batch #1, #2, and #3. I can’t put into words what it means to know that people put their hard-earned dollars into a young whiskey brand still learning the ropes. Looking back, it’s been a trial-and-error process to bring the best product to market, representing Alabama. I was told time and time again to wait, but the expenses, hopes, and dreams of Sweet Home couldn’t let me wait. I never wanted to miss an Iron Bowl, and I never wanted to miss a chance to make the much-needed revenue. But today, I can rest easy because we’ve hit the 2.5-year mark of aging our family grain in the barrel, and as the name suggests, we’re blending a two-year white corn bourbon with it. We toasted the pecan wood just right to bring a beautiful aroma to the bottle, and that once-offensive row corn whiskey batch #2 and #3 now has a sweetness that allows the palate to enjoy the malted rye and unique qualities of our mash.

We have two more iterations of our inaugural batch done in 2022, with plans to release a 3.5-year barrel in 2025 and a 4.5-year barrel in 2026. I can’t wait to see how the product changes over time, and I hope we’ll be able to continue using Hamilton Row Corn for our product. Sweet Home Spirits is putting its best foot forward heading into fall, and we’ll soon be working on specialty barrels to continue advancing our progress. Our aim is to have an excellent product on the shelves and to be a great representative of Alabama in the future.

We have such a long way to go. My 2020 vision plan had us competing with the big players by 2025, but 2025 will be another year of pure survival as we look toward a 2027 facility to become a regional player. There’s only one barrel left on the market of the 1st edition of our Sweet Home Whiskey, made in 2020 and released in 2021. Once that’s finished, our 2nd edition two-year bourbon will hit the shelves—the barrels everyone’s been enjoying in the cask strength special releases we’ve done in 2024. Once that happens, we’ll have a full line of strong, enjoyable products perfected over the years through mistakes, growth, and lessons learned. While we don’t have much time to reflect on this nearly five-year journey, I can be proud of what we’ve achieved at our distillery in Leeds.

This letter helps me put some thoughts on paper and really reflect on where we stand at Sweet Home Spirits. We need support this fall, and we now have the products that everyone can enjoy. If you have Sweet Home Divided Batch #1-3, keep those tucked away as collector’s items. There are still some available to grab, but Batch #4 is the one we want you to use for a toast to a true Alabama-style whiskey made from a dream that you’ve been following. If you’ve tried our products in the past, give us another go. Our limoncello is better than ever, our cask strength has been well-received, and soon our base whiskey will have a smooth bourbon-style profile for everyone to enjoy.

I’m amazed by the thousands of people I’ve met and the countless ads and marketing gimmicks I’ve tried to grow this brand, yet Sweet Home is still a stranger to many. It’s clear that there’s so much competition for people’s attention, but now, more than ever, I want to get this product in front of the right people. Our only way to do that is by having our founders, ambassadors, and distillery members help spread the word. We’ve gotten a great start with ABC purchasing half of our cases in Alabama, so be ready to find our Batch #4 at an ABC store near you!

Come by the distillery this October! We’ll have late nights, cocktails, and special releases for you to enjoy.

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