From the Barrel to Your Glass: Get to Know the Distillers at John Emerald

A Family Within the Auburn-Opelika Family

John Emerald Distillery's tasty products have made it over 7,000 miles to South Korea and to countless places in between. It's rooted in family and was the first legal whiskey made in Alabama since the prohibition era.

Auburn-Opelika is proud to be the home of John Emerald Distillery, and the community would not be the same without them. Their spirits are rooted in values and family, with a strong desire to "extend the concept of family to the community through growing relationships with everyone who walks through the door," Jimmy Sharp said. 

Jimmy Sharp and his father, John Sharp, opened the distillery in 2013. They considered opening a brewery at home before dreaming of the idea of a distillery. John, Jimmy's father, went to whiskey school in Breckinridge, Colorado, rum school in Loveland, Colorado, and took a technical distilling course at the Seibel Institute in Chicago. Jimmy completed an internship at Springbank Distillers in Campbeltown, Scotland. 

After learning the art of distilling, the former cotton warehouse in downtown Opelika felt like the perfect spot. Auburn-Opelika has the "unique local opportunity to be the first taste of whiskey for Auburn University students," Jimmy Sharp said. The hope is that the students will bring the taste of Auburn-Opelika to their new communities through John Emerald's products.

A family within the Auburn Family is what John Emerald is all about. "There is a really strong sense of community in the way that locals treat each other," Jimmy Sharp said. Local breweries support each other in Auburn-Opelika, which is Sharp's favorite part about the area.

The Sharp family is proud of their heritage and honors their ancestors through each craft spirit. Elizabeth Vodka, Gene's Spiced Rum, Spurgeon's Barrel Aged Rum, Hugh Wesley's Gin, and John's Alabama Single Malt Whiskey are just some of the award-winning craft spirits John Emerald offers, all named after a member of their family. 

John’s Alabama Single Malt Whiskey is an award winning best seller and is made with malted Irish barley smoked with peach and pecan wood. The Sharp's craft this whiskey like a Scotch and age it like a bourbon in barrels created from charred American white oak. This process reflects the Sharp's Scottish and American roots in one spirit. 

"When they are tasting John Emerald, they support a family-owned and operated business and get a full taste of our area. They are tasing agriculture, distillation, and aging,” Jimmy Sharp said.

John Emerald desires to provide an experience where all can plug into the area. The facility is open for tours Monday-Saturday, and you can book it here. 

Craft spirits are closely tied to the community in which they are made. John Emerald desires for people will drink their products and think of Auburn-Opelika and the special memories and people tied to this place. 

Don't miss out on what's happening in Auburn-Opelika! 
Sign up for our e-newsletter here.