Wonderbird Spirits of Taylor, Mississippi, has expanded distribution to Georgia. Wonderbird Spirits is the result of separate but similar stories that converged around one singular goal: to make a world class gin. After two years of developing the distillery and the product, Wonderbird took flight in the Spring of 2019. North Mississippi’s first distillery, Wonderbird Spirits, is an eight minute drive south of Oxford on Old Taylor Road. Wonderbird is the brainchild of friends and co-owners Chand Harlow, Rob Forster, and Thomas Alexander.
From grain to glass, Wonderbird ferments Mississippi Delta rice to make the base spirit. Their approach, which borrows from traditional sake making, sets a beautifully clean foundation for layering subtly complex flavors and aromas. “This approach allows us to make a gin that is much more nuanced and complex,” says Harlow.
Wonderbird is a commitment to quality, a commitment to consistency, but also optimism and happiness. “It makes sense that a world class gin can come from here if you look around and you see the diversity of the flora that comes from this place that has this incredible botanical profile to it right in the middle of agricultural heartland,” says Alexander.
Their flagship product is uniquely sippable gin with a complex layering of ten botanicals. It has a balanced profile with sweet florals, citrus, and spice being the most prominent nuances. Of the ten botanicals, they harvest the pine needles and red clover directly from the distillery grounds.
The No. 61 Gin won two gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits competition in 2020. Wonderbird also proudly hangs their hat on the recognition they received in Garden & Gun’s Made in the South awards in 2021, taking both drink and overall winner with their No. 97 Magnolia Experimental Gin. Since launching, Wonderbird has garnered press in Local Palate Magazine, Southern Living and others.