This Little River distillery has a hidden speakeasy room. Now is your chance to see it
The nationwide ban on alcohol sales ended nearly 90 years ago, but a Little River distillery is offering patrons a glimpse at how people managed their way around that law at the time.
Twelve 33 Distillery is opening its speakeasy — a secretive room where illegal alcohol sales historically occurred — for a limited time to the general public.
The hidden space, behind the tasting room wall and controlled by an electromagnetic lock, features red, velvet seats, an antique cash register and phone from the 1920s.
Owner Kevin Osborn said the speakeasy was a must as part of the business, which has a Prohibition theme right down to its name, which represents when the 18th Amendment prohibiting alcohol sales was repealed — December 1933.
“It’s inherent in our brand,” he said.
The speakeasy is typically reserved for use during the distillery’s VIP tours, but they decided to open it to the public last year for a limited time during slower business months, and Osborn said it was such a success that they’re doing it again.
The room will available to all patrons 1-7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays through Feb. 8, though a password is required for entry. The password will be listed on the distillery’s Facebook page every Monday. The password for the first week was JOJO, named after the flask South Carolinians used in the years before Prohibition, Osborn said.
Entry into the room is on a first-come, first-serve basis as the speakeasy holds a maximum of 17 people at a time.
Osborn added that Twelve 33 Distillery is in the process of adding food to its offerings and gaining approval to remain open until 9 p.m., with hopes to do so starting in March.
