The work of Longleaf Distilling Co. is years in the making. Their homegrown additions are mixing up Macon’s spirit scene.
Story by Michael W. Pannell | Photos by Jessica Whitley
When owners Will Robinson and David Thompson opened Longleaf Distilling Co. in Downtown Macon in April 2023, they hoped to create a successful independent distillery that would produce high-quality spirits patrons would enjoy and that the city could be proud of.
In less than three years, their original hopes have been surpassed. Far surpassed.
In that short time, Longleaf Distilling’s 664 Second St. location has become a thriving distillery and gathering spot where locals and tourists alike enjoy homemade Longleaf spirits and creative cocktails in its own tasting room, cocktail bar, and bottle shop — plus take a mixology class or tour distillery operations.
As far as producing high-quality spirits, Longleaf has accomplished something unheard of in the industry: the young brand has already won prestigious awards for not just one, but many of its products. Remarkably, it began this winning tradition within its first year in competition with the world’s best-known liquor manufacturers.
In 2024, Longleaf received Double Gold awards for both its Navy Strength Southland American Gin and its Alba Thistle Liqueur. In 2025, it was awarded Double Gold for its Heirloom American Whiskey and Cask Strength Heirloom American Whiskey in addition to Gold Medals for other Longleaf spirits.
The Double Gold awards came from what’s considered the most prestigious spirits judging body in the world: the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where entrants large and small from dozens of countries vie for recognition.
In those two years, Longleaf’s winning spirits received high scores of 97 and 99 at the SFWSC.
“It’s one of the most respected spirits competitions globally for a variety of reasons,” Robinson said.
“One reason is that judging is done by 75 judges, all leaders in the industry — from bartenders to distillers — who really know what they’re talking about. To receive a Double Gold rating, all judges have to agree and give scores of at least 90. Another reason is that judging is done in blind tests, so it’s not a pay-to-play situation where the bigger distilleries end up with an edge.”
Longleaf products have won other awards, like from the Beverage Testing Institute and the Georgia Trustees Wine and Spirits Competition. Not bad for Macon’s first-ever licensed distillery. It’s also the only such distillery in Central Georgia or for miles around it, from Atlanta to Savanah to Tifton.
Robinson is the creative force behind the distilling of Longleaf’s core spirits, seasonal creations, and related products. He said inspiration comes from many sources.
For instance, products in the Heirloom line, like Heirloom American Whiskey and Cask Strength Heirloom American Whiskey, are based on recipes Georgia farmers would have used when making whiskey and other liquors out of their unsold, leftover grains.
Other spirits are based on traditional recipes, and formulas hailing from other parts of the world. Some are based more purely on Robinson’s years of imagination, trials and errors — or on a near-ancient Italian manuscript of spirits recipes Robinson discovered.
“There are so many factors that go into distilling and creating recipes,” Robinson said. “We always have in mind what local favorites are, but we also like introducing new twists.”
Longleaf’s core spirits include varieties of vodkas, gins, whiskies, bourbons, and ryes. Some are designed to be locally loved. It’s High Tea, tea-flavored vodka, is an obvious nod to the Southern love of sweet tea, while Pinkest Party, a cherry blossom flavored vodka, is an obvious Macon-centric spirit only available seasonally in Longleaf’s tasting room.
On the other hand, spirits like Evergreen Alpine Liqueur, Alba Thistle Liqueur, and Fernet #4 Bitter Liqueur have their roots and flavor profiles from other lands selected to please area tastes while stretching their palates.
“Some of our more obscure liqueurs, like the Alba or Evergreen or Fernet, are very niche, but I have an idea of what will sell here and what’s worth introducing,” Robinson said.
As a licensed distiller, Longleaf can only sell its wares on-premises in its tasting room-cocktail bar, where light food fare is also served. Bottles may be sold there, and mixology classes are offered there.
To retailers, restaurants, bars, and other establishments across Georgia, Longleaf products are distributed by Prime Wine & Spirits.
Doors behind Longleaf’s cocktail bar lead to the distillery, where Robinson’s experimentation happens and spirits are manufactured in two massive stills — one a classic copper-pot still, and the other a more modern high-pressure still. Some spirits are stored in barrels, others are in modern containers as they’re on their way to the downstairs bottling facility.
Fortunately, on most Fridays and Saturdays, tours are given through the distillery, providing a deep look into what goes into making Longleaf spirits. Participants walk away with a surprisingly broad understanding of the age-old process of distilling grains, ingredients, and herbals into spirits.
For $15, a special tasting session is offered as a sampling of some of Longleaf’s core and specialty spirits.
Jeff Wood is Longleaf’s general manager, tasting room manager, and most frequent tour guide. He and Thompson are also the instructors of Longleaf’s mixology classes.
As you would imagine, on tours Wood offers a wealth of information on Longleaf’s distilling operations, but there are also tidbits here and there on the history of spirits and how those relate to Longleaf, information from Wood’s own knowledge, and from Robinson, who Wood calls “the real history buff” of the enterprise.
For instance, he explains things like why the term Navy is used for some spirits.
“There’s a story behind it,” he said. “When the British Navy was sailing back and forth to the Caribbean, they stored gin next to their gunpowder. The gin’s proof, its alcohol strength, was made high so that if it spilled on the gunpowder, the gunpowder would still light. They kept proofing the gin up and up, until they got what’s essentially known as Navy strength. So, they loaded gin up when they left Britain, then rum on the way home.”
Obviously, there’s more information and more stories to tell on the tour and sampling of some of Longleaf’s large variety of spirits.
Similarly, there is more to Longleaf’s own story and unique mission.
“We came up with the name Longleaf, as in longleaf pine trees, to reflect our area, community, and our resurging downtown,” Robinson said. “Being part of our community is something we’re intentionally dedicated to. As we thought about the name Longleaf, we knew we had to take on a project to help restore the longleaf pine population, which was decimated through logging for building materials, tar production, the reduction of natural burns, and the expansion of farmland. Only 3 percent of historic forests remain. We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if for every bottle we sold, we planted a longleaf pine?’”
Longleaf took on the project, and, according to Robinson, in conjunction with the Longleaf Alliance and Mercer University, 85,000 longleaf pines were planted in February 2025 on land Mercer will use as a teaching forest. Also helped through the renewal are a host of lost native species and animal life that suffered due to the lack of a sustainable longleaf ecosystem.
Visit Longleaf Distilling Co. on 664 Second Street Wednesday-Sunday and share your favorite cocktail on socials with @maconmagazine.