Sutler's Spirit Co.

What Sutler's Spirit Co. does

Sutler's Spirit Co. is a craft gin distillery founded in 2012 by Scot Sanborn in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, operating as the city's first legal distillery in over 200 years. The company produces a single core spirit, Sutler's Gin, distilled from a heritage recipe built on lavender and coriander with juniper, lemon, and bitter orange, and sells it alongside a branded merchandise line (apparel, solid copper mugs and shot glasses, leather flasks, lapel pins) priced between $5 and $35, and bookable distillery tours at its Mill Works location. Revenue is generated through three channels: direct-to-consumer sales at the distillery and via an e-commerce storefront, regional wholesale distribution across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee (handled by two named sales representatives), and tour/experiential bookings.

The business is operated by a small core team of about six individuals, including a Head Distiller with 22 years of brewing experience and a Brand Advisor who is a Certified Spirits Specialist and 2018 NC Mixologist of the Year. The company is privately held, founder-owned, and bootstrapped, with no disclosed institutional investment, funding rounds, patents, trademarks, or active M&A activity. Marketing is conducted through organic social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), email, and event/cocktail-culture engagement. The overall commercial footprint is regional rather than national, and growth has been incremental, centered on extending wholesale coverage, branded merchandise, and on-premise advocacy rather than scaling production capacity.

Name

Sutler's Spirit Co.

Legal name

Sutler's Spirit Co.

Website

https://sutlersspiritco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sutler's Spirit Co. is a craft gin distillery in Winston-Salem, NC producing Sutler's Gin, branded merchandise, and distillery tours, sold DTC, online, and through regional wholesale across NC, SC, VA, and TN.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Distillery

NAICS

Distilleries (312140)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG)

Keywords

• Craft gin production
• Craft distillery
• Distillery tours
• Branded merchandise
• Spirits manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Winston Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Spirit Sales: Sale of craft gin products including Sutler's Gin, produced at the distillery in Winston-Salem, NC. Direct sales at distillery and potentially through wholesale distribution in NC, SC, VA, and TN markets.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts ($20), copper mugs (from $35), copper shot glasses (from $12), leather flasks ($35), and lapel pins ($5-$9). Some items sold out.
3. Distillery Tours: Revenue from booking distillery tours online, providing experiential marketing while generating direct sales at the venue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sutler's Spirit Co. produces handcrafted gin using heritage recipes featuring botanicals such as lavender, coriander, juniper, lemon, and bitter orange at their distillery in Winston-Salem, NC. The company also sells branded merchandise including apparel, copper drinkware, leather flasks, and lapel pins, and offers bookable distillery tours to visitors.

Product overview

Sutler's Spirit Co. is a craft distillery and lifestyle brand founded in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 2012. The company produces Sutler's Gin as its core spirit product, complemented by branded merchandise including apparel, copper drinkware, leather flasks, and lapel pins. The distillery also offers tours of its facilities. The product portfolio centers on the gin as the primary offering, with merchandise serving as supplementary branded goods sold through the company's online shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sutler's Gin Handcrafted small-batch gin distilled at the Sutler's Spirit Co. distillery in Winston-Salem, NC, using heritage recipes and botanicals such as lavender, coriander, juniper, lemon, and bitter orange. Sold to individual consumers via e-commerce and tasting room, and to bars, restaurants, and retailers via regional wholesale across NC, SC, VA, and TN.
• Copper Mug

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Durham Distillery: North Carolina craft distillery producing gin and other spirits using locally sourced botanicals. Closely comparable as another NC craft gin producer targeting similar on-premise and retail accounts in the same regional market.
• Cardinal Spirits: Indiana-based craft distillery producing gin, vodka, and whiskey with a tasting room experience and DTC sales. Comparable small-batch craft distillery with a multi-revenue-stream model including spirits, merchandise, and tours.
• Topo Organic Spirits: North Carolina-based organic craft distillery producing gin and vodka with a focus on locally sourced, organic botanicals. Comparable NC craft distillery with similar botanical-forward gin positioning and DTC/regional wholesale model.
• Broad Branch Distillery: North Carolina craft distillery offering small-batch gin and whiskey with a tasting room and tours. Directly comparable small-scale NC craft distillery with DTC, tours, and regional wholesale distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Hendrick's Gin: Globally distributed premium gin brand known for unusual botanical infusions (cucumber, rose, etc.). Comparable as a botanical-forward craft-style gin competing for craft cocktail placements, though with vastly larger marketing budget and global reach.
• Aviation American Gin: Major craft-style American gin brand with national distribution and broad portfolio backing. Comparable as a botanical gin competing for the same on-premise and retail placements, though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Emerging players

• St. George Spirits: California-based craft distillery producing botanical-forward gin and other small-batch spirits with a tasting room. Comparable craft gin producer with DTC and tours, though larger scale and broader product portfolio.

Regional players

• Blue Ridge Distilling Co. North Carolina-based craft distillery offering spirits and tasting room experiences. Comparable regional craft distillery operating in the same Southeast geography with similar experiential and DTC components.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SutlersSpiritCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/SutlersSpiritCo
• Instagraminstagram.com/sutlersspiritco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Sutler's Spirit Co.