Fine Spirits Crafted in the Mississippi Delta

A native of Rosedale, Mississippi, Jack long planned to return home to the Mississippi Delta after a successful career as a lawyer in Washington, D.C.  He knew there was untapped potential in small towns across America and wanted his beloved hometown of Rosedale to benefit from the resurgence of appreciation for rural America and the small-town way of life. With its ideal climate for aging bourbon, central location on the Mississippi River, and storied tradition of bootleg whiskey makers, Jack was convinced that Rosedale was the place to make fine spirits.

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Elizabeth became invested literally and figuratively in the dream of building – not just a distillery – but a movement to attract people and business to a small town she had grown to love.  After all, growing up in South Texas, Elizabeth was no stranger to rural towns and the great outdoors. After serving in elected office in Texas, Elizabeth moved to D.C., where she and Jack met on Capitol Hill. They tied the knot in 2015 in their yard, overlooking the levee of the greatest of American rivers, the “Misha Sipokni” or “Ancient Father of Waters” of the Choctaw; the magnificent Mississippi River. Elizabeth and Jack answered the call to make the world a better place far away from the halls of government, by acting upon their vision to transform Rosedale and to build a premier brand of distilled spirits to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Rosedale Distilling captures the colorful history of fine whiskey making in the region. One of the product lines will honor the legendary bootlegger Perry Martin, who crafted sought-after whiskey for more than 50 years.  Working in his grandfather’s hardware store as a boy, Jack vividly recalls waiting on Mr. Martin, who bought his barrels from Jackson Brothers Hardware. Martin buried his whiskey-filled barrels in the sandbar of the Mississippi River to avoid discovery, creating a product so good that it was asked for by name in speakeasies across the South and in Chicago, and even served in the Governor’s mansion!  Because Mississippi was the last state to repeal prohibition, Mr. Martin never made a legal drop of his fine whiskey… He died in 1968, just after breaking in a new still. Rosedale Distilling will be the first distillery to make legal whiskey in the Mississippi Delta!

Elizabeth’s love of historic preservation is matched only by Jack’s. The company is renovating over 130,000 sq ft of historic buildings in Rosedale, including an abandoned factory that will serve as the main distillery and rick house, and 20,000 sq ft of historic downtown buildings.  Downtown will house a retail shop, tasting rooms and event spaces, and cultural attractions highlighting the region’s rich history.   

As Mark Twain proclaimed in his book Life on the Mississippi, this place – at the confluence of the Arkansas and the Mississippi Rivers – is the most important location related to the European explorers involved in the competition for control of the great Mississippi River valley.

Along the Mississippi River, in the heart of the Delta, the creative spirit in us all looms large. This is where art, life, and history intersect. Magic happens.  This is where you will find Rosedale Distilling.

Come for a visit and spend a day, or the rest of your life, on the banks of the Big Muddy, the Ancient Father of Waters, the Mississippi River!