LITTLE RIVER, SC (WBTW) – A California family moved to the North Myrtle Beach area to bring a unique business to the Grand Strand.
The first batch of bottles at Twelve 33 Distillery are being filled and corked, ready for their debut at the area’s first craft distillery.
Twelve 33 co-owner Kevin Osborn had state-of-the art equipment shipped to the Grand Strand to distill several different liquors.
“It was hand-built for us in Germany,” he said. “We can do whiskeys, we can do vodka, we can do rum. We can do it all in one still.”
Osborn and his family searched the country for somewhere behind in the homemade spirits game.
“Craft distilleries are really just starting to get off the ground now, so we thought the Grand Strand would be a great place for us to take roots and open one,” said Osborn. “Then, we happened to find this property that we thought was terrific.”
The former beachwear store off U.S. Highway 17 is now full with an infusion room for spirits and a hidden speakeasy. That’s because Twelve 33 is named after the end of prohibition in the U.S. in December 1933.
Names of the spirits also reference the Prohibition era. Mullet Creek rum is named after the spot in Little River that rum runners used to hide from police.
With several crafted cocktails, tastings and distillery tours, Osborn says his hard work and dream behind Twelve 33 are a gift to the Grand Strand.
“It’s just really fun to create,” Osborn said. “We try to make everything a little bit different, what we think you’ll really enjoy.”
Twelve 33 will have a soft opening on Monday. It will be a chance to get a sneak peek of all it has to offer.
Osborn says the distillery will open on May 3.
