Episode 31, Talking South Carolina Podcast Check-In Interview with Special Guests, Craig & Meredith Amick, founders of Hollow Creek Distillery, Leesville, SC.

Episode transcript:

Angela Barrett – “Hey, guys. Thanks for being with me today.”

Meredith Amick – Absolutely.

Angela Barrett – “So the last time we were here was July of 23. So, 18 months, I guess. Somewhere in there. Quite a check in we have going here.”

Meredith Amick – Quite a bit has happened in how it breaks in the last 18 months.

Angela Barrett – “Well, detail. Detail.”

Meredith Amick – “Well, I’ll let, I’ll let Greg kick it off, and then maybe I’m. Fill in a couple of the details.”

Angela Barrett – Yes.

Craig Amick – “Sure. So, we’ve got a couple of new things going on. Probably the most exciting or noteworthy is we’ve signed a deal with Garnet Trust. They are the University of South Carolina, Nil collective. So we’re now producing the official Nil vodka for Garnet Trust.”

Angela Barrett – A nice.

Craig Amick – “Deal started, I think it was September of last year. September, October. Some time in there. Right. And we’re starting to get it off the ground pretty good. Now, obviously, the deal with it is it’s, First of all, I’ve gotta say is really good. Bob Gunn, the bottle. But 25% of all sales go to Garnet Trust.”

Craig Amick – So it’s directly supports USC athletes out there.

Angela Barrett – “Right? Right, right. The Cox.”

Craig Amick – “The other big news that comes to mind, we actually won probably our biggest award yet in 24. So it was from the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition we sent. We sent some bourbon out there, and one of the bottles we sent was our high cotton brand. It was 105 proof single barrel that we sent. So the the class that it was entered, entered into was straight bourbon whiskey six years and under.”

Craig Amick – “And it won that class. It was best in class. And then the division that that falls into is just straight bourbon whiskey with no age limit. And it also won best of division. So it was judged to be the best bottle of bourbon at that competition, which doesn’t happen very often in South Carolina.”

Angela Barrett – “Yeah, that’s that’s nice. So now let me ask you which one there was, one of your bottles. And I want wanna say there was a dog on it, and I was the and it won. So I guess for design or something at some point. Right. Are y’all still using that?”

Meredith Amick – “That was the hot cotton. So is that same bottle. So not only has it won some design and label competitions, it’s also now won you know best use in the bottle essentially. So right now that’s a great brand for us.”

Angela Barrett – “Yes yes, yes. And still one of my favorites is the, Is that sweet? The caramel. Oh, yes.”

Meredith Amick – “Absolutely. The flavored stuff is big with folks. And so that’s one thing I’ll definitely fill in. Here, I think in the last 18 months, I believe it’s been since then that we’ve actually stood up what we are calling our family reserve releases. And so those family reserve releases give us a little bit of time to kind of play with different flavors.”

Meredith Amick – “And so we’ve done things like, maple whiskey, we’ve done things like a blood orange vodka, and so or a toasted marshmallow vodka that we just released back around the holidays. And so that gives us a little bit of ability to play with different flavors, see what the market reacts to. And so we’ve got now the stable of, you know, probably six or so flavors that we’re cycling through for the year that folks are, you know, really responding to.”

Meredith Amick – “But then this year we’re doing something fun with that, and we’re actually going to throw in what we call our wild card flavors. And so we’re going to add a couple more flavors. So stay tuned because coming up really soon you’re going to see some exciting different flavors. And again this just gives us this family reserve release gives us the opportunity to see what the market responds to and, you know, maybe keep them around, see what happens.”

Angela Barrett – “Yeah, absolutely. So now going back to all of the awards, people don’t realize, I guess, that it’s a really big deal because you’ve got how many now? Because I know, gosh, in 2023, there was like 4 or 5.”

Meredith Amick – “Yeah, in 20 and in FY 23. And I don’t remember exactly, but at least middle or end of 23 we’ve had, I think at least eight. And then we collected another 3 or 4 in 24 I believe. So, I, I know back during the, the Summer Olympics, I believe it was when Katie Ledecky won all of her medals and, you know, had them spread out like this.”

Meredith Amick – “I posted kind of a silly photo on Facebook and that feeling like Katie Ledecky and spread all of our medals out and held them up, you know, echoes.”

Angela Barrett – “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you have to compete with the big boys. I mean, this is not small time. I mean, let’s see some of the people that you did tell me this, back in 23. But go over it again, I mean, some of the other brands that you would have been up against then and now that that, you know, people would think, Holy cow, you know.”

Craig Amick – “So honestly, the way I usually answer this is just think about whatever your favorite brand is. We’ve probably competed against them. So there are, you know, a thousand of these spirits competitions that we can enter. There’s only about three that we’re interested in. It’s the three biggest ones in the country. We enter Los Angeles International and then San Francisco World Spirits Competition and New York International.”

Craig Amick – “So it’s the three biggest spirits competitions. It’s I don’t see much much needed entering small competitions just to rack up a number of awards. So when when we talk about something we want, it’s usually something to to be proud of. Yeah. Your favorite brand was probably in the mix.”

Angela Barrett – “Yes, I gotcha, I gotcha. So now, I know y’all during the, family barrel, what would you call it again? I see it all the time on Facebook with.”

Meredith Amick – The famous reserve releases.

Angela Barrett – “Yes, I know y’all were doing that and y’all were still having some, different functions out there. So tell everybody sort of, kind of what y’all got going on as far as functions and people can come out and taste and do all that good stuff.”

Meredith Amick – “So this year, basically when we’re lining up these family reserve releases, we will have food trucks out. So that’ll be posted on our Facebook page. That gives folks an opportunity to come out decent taste and get a little lunch. Father. There.”

Angela Barrett –

Meredith Amick – “And then we, of course, always offer our tours and tastings. And so that’s always an option. This year we are doing what we’re calling a pick six for tasting. And so basically our portfolio has expanded so much, we don’t need you tasting through the whole thing because that to be there in person, we’re free. That’s right, that’s right.”

Meredith Amick – “So we’re doing a little pick six and you can come in and pick the six that you want to taste. And, and so it’s usually a good time. Then of course summertime we get folks coming in off the lake and we will bring those slushies back out I okay.”

Angela Barrett – “You can say my neighbors favorite slushies. Good old Mister Bill. Yeah. So the, pick six. I think that’s that’s a good way to do it, because if you get too many, then you. I mean, it’s kind of like when I show houses. I mean, after a while, they all blend together and you’re like, oh, so same, the same.”

Angela Barrett – “But yeah. So that’s great. Now have y’all, I know one time, maybe last year. So maybe in 24 it maybe in the inner 23. You had a comedian out there. Have y’all had any more of those kind of things or planned to have anything like that? Because that was a good time.”

Craig Amick – “That we don’t have anything else like that on the books right now. It’s kind of one of those things we’ve gotten busy enough that, we just haven’t been able to squeeze one in recently. Right. We’re actually very well received.”

Angela Barrett – Yes.

Craig Amick – “So I guess never say never, but, I don’t have anything that to share that we have planned anywhere.”

Angela Barrett – “Yeah, I got you now on tell everybody, where you are for people who don’t know, where you are and kind of when you’re opened, and those kind of things.”

Meredith Amick – “So we’re on the south shore of Lake Murray, right off of highway 378, in between Lexington and this little traffic circle. Our address is technically Lee’s Mill. We’re out there about Captain’s choice Marina, South shore Marina, the San Jose on the lake. And our hours are Thursday, 1 to 7, Friday and Saturday 10 to 7. And like I said, we’re open.”

Meredith Amick – Our tours and tastings are always free. So come on out.

Angela Barrett – “Yeah, yeah, well, I’m excited about the, I’m have I still have not gotten my husband out there, to do any tastings, but I’m definitely going to have to do that. So, you guys got any, you said you didn’t have anything like being planned because y’all are so busy, but is that y’all are physically that busy there, or you’re traveling still?”

Angela Barrett – “Like, I guess advertising your brands.”

Craig Amick – “So yeah. Yes, I’m actually gotcha.”

Angela Barrett – Yeah.

Craig Amick – “What we what we learned is it takes a lot of effort, a lot of time to pull off a really good comedy night. And it’s just, there’s there’s too much other work to be done on us. Right?”

Angela Barrett – “So, yeah, sometimes it best in a.”

Craig Amick – Production load to actually make the juice. And then part of it is the sales and marketing to go sell it. All right. So.

Angela Barrett – “Right. Right. Yeah. And if anybody hasn’t been out there and taken a tour, it’s pretty cool place. So your hat, you do need to go out there. It was a lot of fun. To actually see the process and how y’all do it. And, it was a lot. It it was more than I thought it was going to be.”

Angela Barrett – “Is for me. I had never experienced it until I walked through with you guys. And I was like, wow, this is huge. I mean, it’s a big place.”

Meredith Amick – “Especially this time of year. And you can come out. We’ve got like today we have Marsh that’s out there fermenting into this week. We’ll be cooking off. So, you know, some lucky customers will walk in when we’re actually cooking. And I can see it rolling out of the still. So, you can certainly smell the smells and see the things when you come out there.”

Angela Barrett – “Well, good. Well, thank you so much, guys, for fill me in on what’s going on since July of 23. I appreciate it. And as always, so good to see you guys. Absolutely. Thank you again. Thank you.”