Fainting Goat Spirits / Greensboro Distilling

Overview of the Distillery

Fainting Goat Spirits is the small, family-owned distillery behind Greensboro Distilling in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. They work grain-to-glass with grain from a single-family farm in Union County and make both neutral spirits such as vodka and gin and a series of whiskeys under the name C. B. Fisher. The combination of local ingredient sourcing and hands-on process control makes the place interesting for curious whiskey enthusiasts.

History

From a home project to a small craft distillery

The project began as experiments with a 3-gallon still at the Norman family's home in Fisher Park, Greensboro, where Andrew and Bill practiced the distillation process. The activity grew into the establishment of a small, legal craft distillery in downtown Greensboro, where the family today still plays central roles in operations and production.

Consistent grain-to-glass process and offsite storage

The distillery has established a grain-to-glass process with locally sourced grain from a Union County farm: the grain is milled, mashed, fermented, distilled, and bottled at the same address. The storage of spirits takes place in an offsite rickhouse, and the barrels are brought back to the distillery for bottling and sale.

Raw Materials and Production

The raw material base is locally sourced North Carolina grain from a family-owned farm in Union County; only barley is mentioned as an exception to full local sourcing. The grain is milled daily, mashed and cooked before transfer to the fermentation tanks. Fermentation lasts about seven days, and the tanks are cooled with glycol to ensure precise temperature control and preserve the enzymes that convert starch to fermentable sugars. After fermentation, the liquid goes to a column still, where heat raises the vapor, which is then condensed in a condenser. The head distiller performs manual "cuts" to separate ethanol from other fractions. Final steps include filtration, the option for maceration of botanicals, and aging in wooden barrels, depending on the target product.

Maturation and Barrel Types

The distillery's whiskies are aged in oak or other hardwood in an offsite rickhouse; the barrels are brought back to the distillery for bottling. Bourbon is produced in new white oak barrels in accordance with bourbon requirements, while other whiskies are described as aged in oak or other hardwood. The choice of grain and finish is considered from the start of the process with an eye toward the planned barrel aging.

Whiskeys

The range includes neutral spirits such as Tiny Cat Vodka and Emulsion Gin as well as a series of whiskeys and bourbons under the C. B. Fisher name. Named whiskeys on the website include Fisher's American Single Malt Whiskey, Fisher's Straight Rye Whiskey, Fisher's Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon and Fisher's Distiller's Reserve. The products are marketed as small batch, grain-to-glass spirits, sold directly from the distillery and through retailers in NC.

General Flavor Profile

Visit the Distillery

The distillery has a shop with bottle sales and public tastings. The shop's hours are listed as Tuesday–Friday 10:00–19:00 and Saturday 12:00–18:00; Sunday and Monday are closed. In other text there is wording indicating purchasing at the distillery any day — there are thus varying formulations. Public tastings are held Fridays 15:00–19:00 and Saturdays 12:00–18:00 at a price of $12, and there is the possibility for private tastings and events for a fee ($25 per person for private tastings). Contact is via the provided email or phone for private bookings.

The stated hours are Gift Shop & Bottle Sales: Tue–Fri 10:00–19:00; Sat 12:00–18:00; Sun & Mon closed. Tastings: Fri 15:00–19:00 ($12), Sat 12:00–18:00 ($12). Special private tastings: $25 per person.

Philosophy and Craft

Fainting Goat emphasizes local sourcing, relationships with their farmers, and a long-term commitment to harvests from a single farm. Production runs as small-scale craft with daily milling of grain, temperature-controlled fermentation, and manual cutting of distillation fractions, reflecting a value system around control across the entire grain-to-glass process.