Dread River Distillery opens in Lakeview
Family friends and co-founders John Cubelic and Jeffery Dugas want Birmingham’s new distillery, Dread River Distilling Co., to carve out an unforgettable and original experience for locals looking for something new.
Throughout working with each other, the city and various partners for this $3 million project for the last three years, Cubelic said they’ve tried to be transparent in their process and set a standard for quality.
Located at 2400 7th Ave. S., Dread River Distilling Co. plans to fully open by July, Cubelic said, if everything goes according to plan. Since May, the distillery has been booking tours and tastings as they finish developing products.
“We will be offering distilled spirits that are locally crafted in Birmingham, for Birmingham,” Cubelic said, adding they distill whiskey, bourbon, rye, vodka, gin, rum and some small batch beer and bottling wine. He said they are able to make such a variety of spirits at high quality because of their choice to use a hybrid equipment system that acts as “a jack of all trades.”
It was important to them, he added, to have something for everyone.
“While we focus on whiskey and specifically bourbon at the distillery, we also don’t compromise the quality of our other products. … We are going to come out swinging with a full product line of very high-quality spirits,” Cubelic said.
The two phases of development included the distilling side of the business, which has taken the longest since the law dictates they can only serve their own product line of distilled spirits on-site, and the event side, which is the tasting room and event space, Cubelic said.
Although Avondale Common House and Distillery and Redmont Distilling Company — currently not distributing but announcing news soon, according to their website — are also housed in Birmingham, Cubelic said, they are working to make Dread River a unique and curated distillery experience.
“[We are making] it extremely upscale and refined, a much more classy experience. It’s not bring your dogs, hang out with a beer — it’s a much more elevated experience,” he said. “… I’m excited to bring that level of specificity and sophistication to the event program in Birmingham. Obviously, the event spaces in Birmingham are phenomenally successful and booked, so we are looking to not only get in that game, but to take it up a notch.”
The lounging rooms can be reserved for a variety of party sizes, Cubelic said, for smaller groups or corporate parties, receptions or luncheons.
He added that they can make specific spirits catered for weddings or wedding parties, as well, to make those events even more special for groups.
Dread River Distilling Co. will also sell their products at local stores in the near future and then expand throughout Alabama and further in the Southeast. For more information about the distillery, go to dreadriver.com.