Hilton Head Distillery

Fresh off their partnership on the award-winning Dark Corner Distillery in Upstate South Carolina, Brass Ring Spirit Brands hired McMillan Pazdan Smith again in 2016 to design another facility around a unique brand – Hilton Head Distillery. Founded as an innovative partnership between Dark Corner’s master distiller and another world-class small-batch distiller from the Cayman Islands, the team chose Hilton Head as the “halfway point” reflective of the shared histories of Caribbean rum and Carolina whiskey.

To house the newly formed distillery, the design team planned a careful renovation of a long-vacant 7,500 SF building, even adjusting the warehouse’s ceiling height to accommodate the operation’s tall rum column. As guests attend daily tours and tastings to learn the history of rum and the story behind the company, the simple design of the building intentionally highlights the intricate details of the distillation process.