Fair Game Beverage Co.

What Fair Game Beverage Co. does

Fair Game Beverage Co. is a privately held craft distillery headquartered at The Plant, a 17-acre mixed-use food and beverage campus at 192 Lorax Lane, Pittsboro, North Carolina. Founded in 2013 (with its first batch of rum produced in 2015), the company operates a single 100-gallon still running at 80-gallon batch capacity and produces small-batch malt whiskey, rye whiskey, amber rum, gin, apple brandy, and flavored vodkas, plus seasonal liqueurs such as Chestnut Rum Cream and Plum Liqueur. Its technical differentiation rests on hyper-local ingredient sourcing — foraged black walnuts and chestnuts, locally grown aji dulce tobago peppers contracted from neighboring Little Pond Gardens, and 60,000 pounds per year of apples from North Carolina mountain orchards — combined with used-bourbon-barrel aging in an on-site rickhouse, some rum barrels aging up to eight years.

The company monetizes primarily through direct-to-consumer channels at its on-site tasting room, offering tasting flights, cocktails, and bottle and growler sales. A specialty food pantry retails curated North Carolina-made products (bitters, shrubs, pickles, crackers, chocolates, preserves). Ancillary revenue streams include private tasting experiences with custom bottle blending ($30 per person, 15-person maximum), The Wheelhouse private event venue, and seasonal pre-orders for limited releases. Distribution is exclusively DTC; no wholesale or three-tier distribution is disclosed. Customer segments are local craft-beverage enthusiasts, event planners, and whiskey connoisseurs.

Operationally the company is lean, with 1-10 employees, and is run by Founder Lyle Estill, Head Distiller George Dusek, Distillery Operations Manager Rob, and Cocktail Program Manager Lisa Pigeon. Marketing is community-driven through a content blog, social media (@fairgamebevco), recurring events (Poetry, Crokinole, Improv, Open Mic, seasonal festivals), and partnerships (HarvestHosts, NC GreenTravel, NCSFA). The company has received TTB/FDA approval for its Wild Foraged Black Walnut Whiskey after a two-year process, while a Wild Foraged Cherry variant remains pending approval. No external funding, M&A activity, or ownership changes are disclosed.

Name

Fair Game Beverage Co.

Legal name

Fair Game Beverage Co.

Website

https://fairgamebeverage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fair Game Beverage Co. is a craft distillery in Pittsboro, NC producing small-batch whiskey, rum, gin, brandy, vodka, and seasonal liqueurs from hyper-local ingredients, sold direct-to-consumer through its on-site tasting room, private events, and curated NC specialty food pantry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Spirits

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Malt Beverages (2082), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG), Spirits/Cocktail Bars Operated by Producers (THAFALAJ), Alcoholic Beverage Mixers & Cocktail Ingredients Brands (Non-alcoholic) (CRADAIAH), Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF)

Keywords

• Craft distillery spirits
• Small batch rum
• Grain to glass whiskey
• Craft cocktail program
• Spirits tasting room

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tasting Room Sales: On-site sales of spirits by the glass, cocktail flights, and tasting flights. Also includes rotating selection of NC wines, ciders, and craft beers on 12 taps.
2. Bottle and Growler Sales: Retail sales of spirits bottles and growlers for off-site consumption. Custom bottle blending available through private tastings.
3. Private Events Venue Rental: The Wheelhouse private event space available for gatherings, business meetings, book launches, readings, and intimate celebrations. Booked via [email protected].
4. Private Whiskey Tastings: Guided whiskey tasting experiences led by Head Distiller and Operations Manager. Includes custom bottle blending with personalized labels. $30 per person, 15 person maximum.
5. Chestnut Rum Cream Pre-orders: Seasonal Chestnut Rum Cream available by reservation ($10 deposit, $39.99 balance). Orders placed by December 18, pickup December 22-23.
6. Specialty Food Pantry: Curated market of local and regional gourmet foods including jams, jellies, beef jerky, bitters, shrubs, mixers, chocolates, crackers, cheeses, and Fair Game picnic crates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fair Game Beverage Co. is a craft distillery based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, that produces small-batch spirits using hyper-local, farm-sourced ingredients. The company operates an on-site tasting room where visitors can sample products, and runs a cocktail program featuring house-made spirits. It also hosts private events and offers limited pre-order releases of specialty distillates.

Product overview

Fair Game Beverage Co. is a craft distillery located at The Plant in Pittsboro, NC, producing small-batch spirits including malt whiskey, rye whiskey, amber rum, gin, apple brandy, and flavored vodkas. The company also creates seasonal liqueurs such as chestnut rum cream and plum liqueur using locally foraged ingredients. Beyond spirits, the company operates a retail pantry featuring North Carolina specialty foods and operates a tasting room with guided spirit tastings and cocktail service. Private tasting experiences offer custom-blended spirits, and The Wheelhouse event space is available for private events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fullsteam (Durham)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly whiskey collaboration partner. Sourced wash from their Paychex Pilsner recipe for Fair Game's first batch of malt whiskey. Loyal beer nerds from Fullsteam became Fair Game whiskey customers. Approximately 77 bottles produced from Fullsteam wash.
• Bond Brothers (Cary)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst brewery partner to collaborate on whiskey wash sourcing. The founder of Bond Brothers tasted Fair Game's first whiskey batch and requested 100 bottles, which started Fair Game's whiskey program. Approximately 88 bottles produced.
• Clouds Brewing (Raleigh)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSourced wash from Clouds Brewing for multiple whiskey batches in the early collaborative whiskey program.
• BMC Brewing (Pittsboro)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighbor across the street at The Plant campus. Ground grain and created wash for Fair Game's rye whiskey program. Also sourced wash for whiskey batches.
• Epiphany Malting (Durham)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMalted the rye grain sourced from Virginia for Fair Game's 100% malted rye whiskey program.
• Kingston 99 (Jamaican Restaurant)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerJamaican restaurant next door to Fair Game. Partnership to create Kingston 99 Jamaican Rum under Fair Game's distillery license. Jason from Kingston 99 sourced and imported Jamaican rum, Fair Game created the blended product. Released February 6th (Bob Marley's birthday).
• Muddy River DistilleryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCraft rum producer in the region. Fair Game purchased a barrel from Muddy River to create their Spanish-style Province of Carolina blend.
• George DusekcoreOthersLegendary brewer turned distiller who joined Fair Game. Brings professional tasting expertise and pretension to tastings with ability to describe 'leathery undertones on the back of the palate.'
• Rob (Distillery Operations Manager)coreOthersCo-leader of private tasting experiences. Manages whiskey blending and production alongside Head Distiller George.
• Chestnut Carnival PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual chestnut festival collaboration with Rock County Chestnuts (Zach Petersen), featuring local vendors including Blue Tail Bakery, BMC Brewing, Kingston 99, Ta Contento, and Redtail Grains.
• Little Pond GardensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContract grower for Flying Pepper Vodka peppers across the street from The Plant. Food miles approximately 50 yards.
• NC Black Walnuts (Daniel)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal supplier of black walnuts including crushed cleaned fruit and black walnut syrup. Also produces black walnut tree syrup.
• Romanz Tea (Durham)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered for 2022 honeysuckle tea production. Shipped blossoms to Durham but product 'tasted the same as Romanz normal product' - described as early 'pantry outsourcing' experiment that failed.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fairgamebevco
• Facebookfacebook.com/fairgamebevco
• Instagraminstagram.com/fairgamebevco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fair-game-beverage-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fair Game Beverage Co.