March 29, 2024

Award-winning Opelika distillery

Posted on November 30, 2016 by in Features

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John Sharp (left) and Jimmy Sharp behind the bar at JED with a sampling of their products.

(story and photos by Niko Corley)

Family (noun) – “a group of people who are related to each other … including people who lived in the past.”

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary likely didn’t have Opelika, Alabama’s John Emerald Distillery (JED) in mind when crafting its definition of “family.” But the description fits the distillery as closely as the staves of the hand-fitted barrels holding JED’s aging spirits. Everything at the distillery is a family affair, and family has driven some of their most critical business decisions. Founded by father and son John and Jimmy Sharp, JED offers five distinct distilled spirits, each named for a family member.

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JED line-up includes their flag-ship Single Malt Scotch (center), and Spurgeon’s Barrel Aged Rum (far left), which recently won a Silver Medal at the New York International Spirits Competition.

Their flagship product, “John’s Alabama Single Malt Whiskey,” is the first legally produced Alabama whiskey in 100 years. It’s crafted like a Scotch, yet aged like a bourbon, distilled entirely from malted barley and smoked using Alabama-indigenous peach and pecan woods.  That unusual combination is coupled with a unique accelerated-aging process.

Unlike many large distilleries, JED’s liquid-filled, charred American white oak barrels are exposed to dramatic temperature swings semi-monthly instead of just a few times a year. Such swings impart much of the flavor to aged spirits. This accelerated-aging process creates a unique flavor profile that carefully melds the maltiness and sweetness of the two distinctly different whiskeys into an ultra-smooth “sipper.” The end results are small batches named for distillery namesake John Emerald Sharp, the co-owners’ grandfather and father. It’s part-Scotch, part bourbon, and all-Alabama.

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John Emerald employee tends distilling equipment as their award-winning rum is being produced.

Spirits aficionados the world over have taken quickly to JED’s craft distilling. Both John’s Alabama Single Malt Whiskey and the company’s “Hugh Wesley’s Gin,” which with strong juniper and floral notes makes the perfect summertime G&T, each won Bronze medals at the prestigious New York International Spirits Awards in New York City. The reviews of John’s Alabama Single Malt Whiskey alone, which beat out other barrel-aged spirits more than ten-times older at the Spirits Awards, has garnered the distillery international acclaim.

But the Sharp family isn’t content not pushing the envelope in their craft, and the company’s offerings aren’t limited to an award-winning whiskey and gin. Whenever possible, whether in their whiskey or their other products, the Sharps utilize Alabama-grown edibles.

Hugh Wesley’s Gin is crafted using local juniper berries. Spurgeon’s Barrel Aged Rum, made like a rum but aged in their own used single malt whiskey barrels, produces multiple complex layers of flavor. Gene’s Spiced Rum is crafted using Alabama sugarcane syrup and local pecans, and will leave you pining for the islands and the rhythms of a steel drum band. Elizabeth’s Vodka is  corn-based, clean and crisp. Like JED’s other offerings, it’s easy to drink. Each product JED makes is named for an ancestor, driving home the familial atmosphere permeating everything the Sharps do.

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The rick room where Single Malt Scotch and Spurgeon’s Barrel Aged Rum “sit.”

“We honor their spirits,” co-owner John Sharp said, “with the spirits we create.”

John’s Alabama Single Malt Whiskey, and most of the other products, are available at most ABC stores in Alabama. JED also operates a tasting room at the distillery in historic downtown Opelika. There, all of their products can be sampled, whether “neat” for the whiskey, “straight up” for the other liquors, or blended into a variety of creative cocktails. The tasting room is open Wednesday through Saturday, 4 p.m. until midnight, and tours are available Thursday through Saturday, 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. JED is located at 706 N. Railroad Ave.

 

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