Town of Black Mountain orders business to relocate whiskey barrels and close tasting room

Oak and Grist Distilling Co. future uncertain following ruling by code enforcement officials

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
July 20, 2026

The Town of Black Mountain ordered Oak and Grist Distilling Co. to temporarily relocate storage of whiskey to a location outside of the building and discontinue public access to the interior of the property, following a June 1 fire inspection. Photo by Fred McCormick

A local business is facing uncertainty, following a decision by the Town of Black Mountain. 

Oak and Grist Distilling Co., operating in its current location on Grovestone Road since 2016, was ordered, July 14, to cease production and maturation operations and close its indoor tasting room to the public. The business was given 90 days to make significant changes related to the storage of whiskey barrels.

In an emailed announcement to customers and supporters, cofounder William Goldberg asked for support from the community, following a ruling by town officials that he described as surprising.

“If you know us, you know that we don’t cut corners on anything that we do,” the business owner’s statement said. “I have always run the distillery to the letter of the law and to what I understand is required by applicable building and fire code. In the nearly 10 years we have been in operation I have never been given reason to believe otherwise, despite annual inspections.”

To continue production and maturation operations, the business will be required to move its whiskey, classified as a Class II combustible liquid by the state building code, to a location outside of the building.

“We have also been informed that until we can find an alternate location for our barrels we are prohibited from allowing the public into our building,“ Goldberg added. “The impact that this is going to have on the distillery could very well determine our survival.”

The business is offering outdoor service while considering how to proceed.

“The honest answer is I don’t really know yet and if I’m being completely transparent it is clear the town doesn’t know what they are asking for either,” Goldberg said in the statement. “What I do know is it is going to take resources that we don’t currently have and that we are going to need your support if we are going to overcome this new challenge.”

The owner encouraged supporters of Oak and Grist, which produces gin and single malt whiskey, to help sustain the operation.

“If you love our cocktails, we need you to come have a drink with us. If you love the spirits that we make, we need you to buy a bottle from us or your local ABC store,” Goldberg said. “If you know someone who owns or manages a bar, we need you to ask them to carry us. If you appreciate the space we have created, we need you to come sit with us.”

The ruling came after more than 4,000 gallons of combustible liquid were observed, June 1, during an annual fire inspection, according to a four-page report signed by the planning director, building code inspector, fire marshal and fire chief. The document alleges the distilled spirits were “improperly stored,” while noting fire suppression deficiencies on site.

“Last week, we pulled together the owner of Oak & Grist, his architect and contractor with folks from the planning department, the fire marshal and fire chief to say, ‘we need a course of action to address this,’” Black Mountain Planning Director Michelle Kennedy said. “The state fire marshal’s recommendation was to cease all operations or give a 30- to 60-day timeframe for these corrections to be completed. When we met, we made a determination that we would allow 90 days for them to reach full compliance.”

Representatives of the business indicated they would temporarily move the barrels out of the building, according to the planning director.

“Conversations about combustion materials on that site have been ongoing since about 2023,” Kennedy said. “They came to a head because this fire inspection found 4,000 gallons of combustible liquids and not appropriate documentation related to fire suppression, the fire alarm and sprinkler system, so that’s why we had to act immediately.”