The Whiskey Trip - Season 3, Episode 15 - Pete Barger, Founder & Owner - Southern Distilling Company

The Bourbon Life

This week on The Whiskey Trip, Big Chief rolls into Statesville, North Carolina—a city once hailed as the “liquor capital of the world”, where whiskey-making wasn’t just a trade, it was the lifeblood of the region.

He heads to Southern Distilling Company, where that spirit of craftsmanship and community is alive and well. There, he sits down with founder and owner Pete Barger, a visionary reviving Statesville’s legacy sip by sip. With a rocks glass of their rich wheated bourbon in hand, Big Chief listens as Pete shares the deep roots of whiskey in Western Carolina—and how Southern Distilling is carrying that torch into a bold new era.

From producing over 20,000 barrels a year to being the go-to source for contract distillation, Pete and his team are giving brands across the country a taste of real Carolina pride—rooted in heritage, aged with honor, and bottled with purpose.

This episode is more than just a tasting. It’s a tribute to a region reborn, where history pours strong and tradition never fades.

This is The Whiskey Trip.

Cheers, y’all.