Oaklore Distilling Co. — Attraction in Matthews

Many of us in Matthews and the bourbon community here were excited to see a distillery opening up in our town. I know starting a business can be tough so I tried to keep an open mind when trying their products and experiencing their space. Unfortunately they missed the mark on all of the above. Their rye whiskey is a decent $30 rye. Unfortunately they charge $100/bottle. Their four grain is among the worst I've ever had.

Then there's the space. It's a cool spot . . . for a coffee shop. There is VERY little seating. The outside space is decent and welcoming with the firepit and chairs.

I think to me what really bothers me is the way the are falsifying their reviews to increase their rating on Google. One of the owners used 7 different email address to give himself 5 stars. Many of the other reviews are friends or fellow church goers. This is extremely misleading and not a way to build trust in the community. Especially coming from an ownership team that is mostly transplanted from a church down the street.

I imagine that they will quickly run out of first timers and eventually fold. It's disappointing, because again this could've been something great. They really should have sourced their stuff in order to bring the cost down and the quality up a...

Trying to go easy on this place because the bartenders were so nice and informative. They were definitely the shining star. Fantastic job with staffing.

This place is way overpriced and the way the flights are structured, it’s clearly a money grab. There were five options and you had to have at least three options but no more than four, so if you wanted to try them all, you had to have two people and get at least one of them twice. Did I mention each teeny tiny shot is $10? It’s ridiculous. I can get better prices for better whiskey in uptown.

To be honest though, what really ruins the charm this place might have had is the owner’s response to some of these reviews. Rather than take it as construction criticism, the owner comes back with passive aggressive comments that come off as snarky and pompous. At least be humble, especially if you’re going to operate out of Matthews rather...

Long story short, absurd prices.

Pros: friendly, small, unique, lot of outdoor seating

Cons: prices are not only absurd but the products aren’t worth what they are asking for either. Several people came in, did tastings, and left empty handed after being ripped off for $40/person on a handful of samples. By comparison, a place like Chemist in Asheville is a small place but the tastings are free, and then I happily spend $10-15 on their signature cocktails and walk away with a few bottles. Spending $100 on a date for 4-5 samples is inexcusable. Cannot go back as it isn’t a justified cost and I don’t buy their bottles for the...