Rum company on Daufuskie Island set to open early next year
By MATT McNAB — mmcnab@beaufortgazette.com It's only natural that his post-retirement job will be to lead a new rum company on Daufuskie Island. A 35-year resident of Kentucky and a soon-to-be-retired medical executive, Chase first came to Daufuskie in July 2012 looking for a retirement home. At 53, Chase said he wasn't ready to stop working, so he came up with the idea of opening a micro-distillery on Daufuskie. After buying a home on the island in October, he began to think about what kind of alcohol to make. Chase briefly toyed with the idea of making bourbon, nixing that idea after declaring that "bourbon ought to be made in Kentucky." With his move to the island, he settled on a more tropical liquor "รข‚¬" rum, creating the Daufuskie Island Rum Co. In a few weeks, the company will close on the sale of property that will house a 3,500-square-foot micro distillery set to open early next year. The building, being constructed by a contractor wh