End your day at End of Days, new distillery to open in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The first of its kind in Wilmington, End of Days Distillery is set to open in February.

It’s the first distillery in Wilmington where the spirits are brewed in house, and you can not only purchase them, but sit and enjoy the atmosphere as well.

“I was an avid home brewer for years and always appreciated the craft of making something from nothing, especially when it was good,” owner Shane Faulkner said.

Shane and his wife, Beth, have always had a passion for brewing their own beers and spirits at home.

After visiting the Kentucky Bourbon trail and other distilleries around the country, they had the inspiration to give the business a shot themselves.

The inspiration for the name while sitting around the campfire, sipping fine spirits with friends reflecting on what they had “at the end of the day.”

“At the end of the day, what are we enjoying? Did you have a day well lived and are you spending it with someone that you care about?” Shane said. “We said, ‘you know what? celebrate the day.’ Because life is very precious.”

They chose Wilmington because of the appreciation the city has for the craft industry.

“We have an awesome brewery scene here in Wilmington and we found this incredible building,” Shane said. “And the only thing I could think of is a distillery.”

Built in the 50s on Castle Street, the barrel style building mimics the shape of the barrels used to age spirits. The Faulkners wanted to use this unique shape to highlight what goes into the creation of their products.

The wall the bar sits on is black. Not painted, but charred.

“It’s to mimic the inside of a barrel,” Beth said. “Part of the process that happens with the barrel is it gets charred to different levels. That helps create the different flavor profiles in your spirits.”

The Faulkners are very focused on building their business locally and involving members of the community. A unique way they’re doing that is with the “Gin Experience.”

“Bring in a group of your friends, we’ll give you a neutral spirit and you’ll have the opportunity to take whatever you personally like and create your own bottle of gin,” Beth said.

She says if the taste is really good, it could result in your personally created gin being manufactured at EOD.

The first series of spirits released from EOD is called the ‘Port of Entry’ series. It includes vodka, rum and gin. Aside from the locally brewed creations, the bottles contain something else pretty cool.

“We really wanted to show our appreciation for Wilmington, where we live,” Shane said. “When you take all three bottles, turn them around, and look through the labels it creates the entire Wilmington Riverfront.”

According to the Faulkners, you will have the opportunity to get your hands on the vodka and rum bottles on February 1 at the grand opening. The gin is currently in production and should be available in the spring.

For more information on the distillery, visit their website here.