13th Colony Distilleries: Georgia Bourbon, Rye and Visitor Guide
Thirteenth Colony, usually styled 13th Colony, is an Americus producer whose identity centres on whiskey selection and maturation in South Georgia. Its range runs from Southern Bourbon and Southern Rye to high-strength annual bottlings and specialist oak treatments. The company is unusually direct about an important distinction: it distils whiskey itself and also sources whiskey made to its recipe, while maturing all its barrels in its own warehouse.
Information checked on 27 October 2026.
At a glance
At a glance | Thirteenth Colony Distilleries |
|---|---|
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
Town | Americus |
Address | 305 N Dudley Street, Americus, GA 31709 |
Founded | 2009 |
Status | Operating distillery, maturation and visitor business |
Master distiller | Graham Arthur |
Production model | Own distillation plus sourced whiskey |
Main range | Southern Bourbon and Southern Rye |
Visitor formats | Tours, guided tastings and selected barrel experiences |
In this guide
AI summary: key points
Founded in 2009, 13th Colony remains owned and operated by the family-and-friends group described in its producer history; Graham Arthur is its master distiller.
The business combines distillation with sourced whiskey and South Georgia maturation. A 13th Colony label does not establish that every component was distilled onsite.
Americus visitors can book standard tours, barrel tastings and bottle-your-own experiences. Limited retail releases have separate availability rules.
Summarise this guide with AI
A family-and-friends business in Americus
The company’s origin story begins in 2009, when its founders experimented with spirits intended as gifts. Its current history says the same family-and-friends group continues to own and operate the business. The distillery describes its premises as a practical warehouse setting, which fits the emphasis on barrels, maturation and tasting rather than a grand architectural visitor attraction.
Master distiller Graham Arthur came to spirits with experience as a chef. The producer presents his role as one of assessing barrels and deciding when they are ready to blend. That explains why selection by flavour is central to the brand’s presentation, even when its core products do not carry a formal numbered age statement.
South Georgia maturation
The distillery and visitor address is 305 North Dudley Street in Americus. The producer places the local climate at the centre of its maturation story, particularly heat and changing temperatures in its warehouses. These are producer explanations of its house style, rather than a claim that a particular climate guarantees a better whiskey.
For a traveller, the practical value of the location is access to a working maturation business. A standard tasting and a warehouse barrel experience answer different questions: the former introduces finished releases, while the latter offers a closer look at whiskey before final selection and bottling.
Distillation, sourcing and wood treatments
The official FAQ confirms both distillation and sourcing to meet demand. It does not name every supplier or disclose the proportion of sourced spirit in each bottle. The accurate description is therefore a mixed production model, with all barrels aged at the company’s warehouse, rather than an assertion that every release is entirely distilled in Americus.
The bourbon recipe is 70% corn, 21% rye and 9% malted barley. Southern Rye uses 95% rye and 5% malted barley, with a toasted French-oak-spiral treatment. This differs from the 113 Bourbon, which uses maple wood spirals and is bottled at 56.5% ABV after selection from five-to-six-year-old whiskey. Wood spirals should not be rewritten as a second full cask.
Southern Bourbon and Southern Rye
Both flagship expressions are bottled at 47.5% ABV, equivalent to 95 US proof. Their product pages describe selections of barrels aged between four and six years. That is useful maturation information, but a blend containing older barrels does not become a six-year-old whiskey. The guide retains the producer’s selection range instead of creating a false fixed age.
The bourbon profile emphasises baked fruit, cereal sweetness and spice. The rye’s published notes move from warming spice towards confectionery and herbal flavours. The bottle cards paraphrase those producer descriptions. A side-by-side tasting can focus on recipe and wood treatment because the two standard releases share the same bottling strength.
Southern Straight Bourbon Whiskey Southern Rye Whiskey 2026 Double Oaked Bourbon Batch 4 Barrel Symphony Composition No. 1
The tasting descriptions below paraphrase the producer’s notes. They are not Whisky Clan tasting scores.
Southern Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Style: Straight bourbon
Age: Producer selects 4–6-year-old barrels
Strength: 47.5% ABV (95 US proof)
Cask or maturation: Not confirmed for this specific release in the sources checked.
Grain recipe: 70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley
Nose: Cherrywood, baking spice and baked fig.
Palate: Oak, caramel, warm apple and toasted walnut.
Finish: Spice with floral notes, anise and apricot.
Southern Rye Whiskey
Style: Rye whiskey with French-oak treatment
Age: Producer selects 4–6-year-old barrels
Strength: 47.5% ABV (95 US proof)
Cask or maturation: Toasted French-oak spirals are used
Grain recipe: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Nose: Clove, cinnamon and vanilla.
Palate: Cake batter, cocoa, rye bread and maple sweetness.
Finish: Rye spice recedes towards herbs and honeysuckle.
2026 Double Oaked Bourbon Batch 4
Style: Cask-strength double-oaked bourbon
Age: Producer specifies 8–10 years
Strength: 65.75% ABV (131.5 US proof)
Cask or maturation: Separate charred oak barrels
Palate: Cinnamon and brown sugar develop into chocolate, honey and vanilla.
Finish: Sweet malt, cinnamon and clove persist.
Barrel Symphony Composition No. 1
Style: Blend of straight bourbon and straight rye
Age: 6-year bourbon and 7-year rye components
Strength: 58.1% ABV (116.2 US proof)
Cask or maturation: Not confirmed for this specific release in the sources checked.
Nose: Honey and maple with chocolate and floral touches.
Palate: Spiced fruit, baking spice and a sweet dough-like richness.
Finish: Sweet corn and dark malt with warming balance.
The 2026 releases and why batch names matter
Double Oaked Bourbon Batch 4 is the 2026 release: 131.5 US proof, or 65.75% ABV, from whiskey described as eight to ten years old and matured in separate charred oak barrels. Its launch page says retail availability begins in late October 2026 and specifically excludes distillery sales. A tour booking therefore does not provide access to this bottle.
Barrel Symphony Composition No. 1 blends 87% six-year bourbon with 13% seven-year rye at 58.1% ABV. The 2026 Cask Strength Southern Bourbon is a different release at 60.41% ABV, while the year’s Cask Strength Rye is 61.45% ABV. Both annual cask-strength pages describe five-to-six-year barrel selections. Retain the year and full release name when comparing labels, reviews or retailer listings.
Choosing an experience
The current tour page distinguishes a standard distillery tour with tasting, a Barrel Thief experience in the rickhouse and a Bottle Your Own experience. The latter allows visitors to select between offered barrels and fill, cork and label a bottle. A simpler guided tasting is also advertised.
Book the intended format rather than assuming every visit includes barrel samples or bottling. The producer publishes holiday closures and directs visitors to its reservation system. Check that live schedule, particularly if travelling for a particular release, and confirm any group arrangements before arrival. Core shop stock and limited allocations are separate from tour availability.
Other distilleries in Georgia and neighbouring Tennessee
These guides are suggestions for further reading. Check locations, travel distances and current bookings when planning a visit.
Reader poll
Share your interests: take the four-question Thirteenth Colony Distilleries reader poll
Answer four quick questions to see reader comparisons. No account or email is required.
Contribute an update
Have a correction, a distillery photograph you can share, or a tasting experience to add? Send it to Whisky Clan using the form below. You can also choose to receive the newsletter.
Frequently asked questions
Does 13th Colony distil all the whiskey it sells?
It confirms both own distillation and sourcing. The producer says all of its barrels are aged at its warehouse, but does not disclose a fixed sourcing proportion for every release.
Are Southern Bourbon and Southern Rye six years old?
Their pages describe a selection of four-to-six-year-old barrels, not a universal six-year age statement.
Can I buy 2026 Double Oaked Batch 4 during a tour?
Its launch page explicitly says it is not sold at the distillery. The stated route is selected retailers, with availability beginning in late October 2026.
Is bottle-your-own available?
The producer advertises a separate Bottle Your Own Tour and Tasting. Booking and available barrels should be checked in the current reservation system.
Sources and image credits
View sources and image credits
Featured image: 13th Colony Distilleries.
Southern Straight Bourbon Whiskey image: 13th Colony Distilleries.
Southern Rye Whiskey image: 13th Colony Distilleries.
2026 Double Oaked Bourbon Batch 4 image: 13th Colony Distilleries.
Barrel Symphony Composition No. 1 image: 13th Colony Distilleries.
Research checked on 27 October 2026. Tour arrangements, releases and availability can change.
Comments