Picture a single kernel of Low-country corn: sun-warmed, golden, humble. Now imagine that same kernel singing its way through a gleaming copper pot still—steam swirling, music pulsing, sweet-corn aroma rising—until it emerges as a crystal-clear vodka ready for your evening toast by the Savannah Lakes firepit. Curious how that down-home grain makes such an elegant leap? Stay with us.
Key Takeaways
• Three corn-vodka spots—Ghost Coast, Savannah Vodka, and Burnt Church—sit about one hour from Savannah Lakes RV Resort
• Tours run 40–60 minutes; only guests 21+ may taste, but kids can enjoy soda flights
• Reserve seats online a week ahead and use rideshares; downtown streets are tight for big RVs
• Copper pot stills grab bad smells (sulfur) and leave vodka smooth and clean
• 100 % corn recipes are naturally gluten-free; a corn-wheat mix adds softness
• Bring photo ID, wear closed-toe shoes, and expect small 2-ounce sample limits under Georgia law
• Spent mash feeds local farm animals, and water-saving gear cuts waste—ask guides about it
• Store your souvenir bottle upright, cool, and lightly chilled (55–60 °F) for best sweet-corn flavor.
In the next five minutes, you’ll learn:
• Why copper steals off-notes and leaves pure, silky spirit behind
• How distillers—yes, even the innovators at Copper & Kings—coax corn’s starch into smooth sips you can stash safely in the RV cabinet
• Accessibility, kid-friendly tweaks, and after-work twilight tour hacks that fit YOUR travel style
Ready to turn “Just another distillery stop” into a story you’ll share over tomorrow’s social hour? Let’s step inside the still house.
Quick Sip Summary
Corn-forward vodka spots cluster within an hour of the resort, making them easy add-ons to any Savannah Lakes itinerary. Traffic around the historic squares can be unpredictable, so plan on a 45- to 75-minute drive and leave a buffer for riverfront parades or festival detours. Because tours are capped at fifteen guests, locking in seats online a week ahead guarantees you’ll stand beside the copper still instead of stuck behind a “tour full” sign.
Georgia law limits complimentary tastes to two ounces, yet that’s plenty to sample the nuanced sweetness corn provides. Adults must flash a photo ID at check-in, while kids tagging along can sip root-beer flights from the soda gun. Parking a Class A downtown is a nail-biter, so most RVers leave the rig at the resort and rely on rideshares that cost about the same as a downtown garage yet skip the parallel-parking stress.
Corn’s Secret to Clean, Gluten-Free Spirits
Field corn, not the sweet stuff you grill in July, dominates vodka mash bills because its dense starch converts to alcohol with enviable efficiency. Southeast distillers source No. 2 yellow kernels from farms within a 200-mile radius, grinding the grain moments before it slides into a 190 °F cook. That freshness curbs oxidation, keeps flavors bright, and supports the region’s growers in one move.
When a recipe stays 100 percent corn, the resulting vodka is naturally gluten-free—no marketing gimmick required. Add a 50/50 corn-wheat split and you pick up a softer mouthfeel without sacrificing the spirit’s subtle vanilla-sweet notes. Either way, the mash cools to roughly 150 °F before enzymes or malted barley arrive, ensuring every starch chain snaps into fermentable sugars. Science aside, the payoff lands in your glass as a silky pour that needs no freezer chill to feel smooth.
What Copper Pot Stills Really Add
Copper isn’t eye candy; it’s an active scrubber that binds sulfur compounds—the culprits behind rotten-egg aromas. In a pot still, vapor ghosts across a sprawling copper surface, leaving unwanted congeners clinging to the metal while clean ethanol passes on. Operators often run a quick “stripping” pass to pull raw alcohol, then slow things dramatically for the “spirit” run, making tight heads and tails cuts that dodge tomorrow’s headache.
Reflux helmets or short columns can sit atop the pot, boosting purity yet preserving the copper character column stills sometimes lose. After each run, distillers rinse plates and lyne arms with hot water; a citric-acid wash every few weeks polishes the kettle bright, ensuring copper stays reactive for the next batch. Hold vapor temps near 176 °F and you’ll see why corn-based vodkas from this region rarely need charcoal filtration—copper already did the heavy lifting.
Copper & Kings: Brandy Beats, Lessons for Vodka Lovers
Louisville’s Copper & Kings fills barrelhouses with thumping playlists, a “sonic aging” trick that micro-oxygenates their brandy as basslines vibrate the barrels. Three pot stills—Sara, Magdalena, and Isis—stand guard, their bellies gleaming like derby trophies while speakers pulse classic rock through the rafters. The team proves experimentation keeps craft spirits fresh, even if corn vodka isn’t their claim to fame.
What matters for Savannah Lakes travelers is the transferable wisdom: copper equipment paired with creative process equals memorable flavor. Instead of driving eight hours north, you can capture that same spirit of innovation 90 minutes east, where corn takes center stage. Let’s chart the trail.
Coastal Corn Vodka Trail: Three Stops Near the Resort
Ghost Coast Distillery, featured in this Ghost Coast article, leans on a 500-gallon copper pot for Vodka 261—a mash split 50/50 between corn and wheat, then triple-filtered for clarity. Tours last about 45 minutes, ending in a lively tasting bar where kids can order house-made soda flights while adults explore subtle grain sweetness. A dedicated rideshare lane on Fahm Street and a multi-level garage five steps away de-stress parking.
Savannah Vodka, noted in the broader Savannah Bourbon info, operates a smaller, laser-focused facility built around 100 percent select corn and Blue Ridge Mountain water. The tasting lounge opens at 11 a.m., perfect for pairing with a Forsyth Park picnic, and a 5:30 p.m. twilight tour caters to Laptop Nomads finishing the day’s last Zoom. Expect crisp, peppery notes and an Instagram-ready copper-still reflection wall.
Cross the state line to Bluffton for Burnt Church Distillery and its seven-time-distilled Hail Southern Premium Vodka, detailed on the Hail Southern page. Bike racks greet Trail-to-Tasting adventurers, while an eco-display explains how daily spent mash feeds local hog farms. The porch’s Lowcountry breeze almost begs for a neat pour at sunset.
Custom Itineraries for Every Traveler
Heritage Sippers might roll out after a leisurely breakfast, reach Ghost Coast’s 11 a.m. tour with elevator access and frequent seating breaks, then linger over lunch on River Street before returning to the resort for a mid-afternoon nap. Gift-shop padded bottle sleeves keep purchases rattle-free in the pantry, and a porch rocker outside their rig sets the scene for an early evening pour. Curious Parent Crews, meanwhile, weave in a 30-minute “Science of Spirits” chalk talk where microscopes reveal fermenting yeast, letting under-12 explorers watch from the soda bar before burning energy at Emmet Park across Bay Street.
Laptop Nomads hammer out emails until 4:30 p.m., hop a rideshare to Savannah Vodka’s 5:30 p.m. golden-hour tour, and enjoy strong 5G in the courtyard for last-minute uploads. Trail-to-Tasting Adventurers stash kayaks after an Ebenezer Creek paddle, bike 2.3 miles from the visitor-center lot to Ghost Coast, and quiz staff on non-GMO corn sourcing before pedaling back for sunset. By tailoring the schedule this way, every traveler—whether work-focused, kid-centric, or thrill-seeking—lands the perfect sip without sacrificing their favorite pastime.
RV-Friendly Logistics You’ll Thank Us For
Small-batch facilities love intimate groups, so click “reserve” at least seven days out—Friday and Saturday fill first. Leave Savannah Lakes 45–60 minutes before showtime; historic-square traffic can double during events. Rather than threading a 40-foot coach through cobblestone lanes, park at the resort and hail Lyft or Uber for about $30 each way, scheduling the return ride before your first sip.
Production floors require closed-toe shoes, long pants, and a photo ID. Georgia’s 0.08 BAC limit is no joke, and highway checkpoints sprout on weekends, so tasting flights rarely top two ounces. Families can still join in: soda flights, root-beer tastings, and mocktail kits keep younger explorers engaged while adults savor the real deal.
Sustainability Touchpoints Worth Asking About
Guests increasingly want eco-receipts for every pour, and local distillers deliver on that demand. Spent corn mash heads to neighboring hog or cattle farms daily, closing the waste loop and trimming disposal fees. Heat-exchange condensers and recirculating chillers shave water use by as much as 40 percent—a lifesaver during Savannah’s humid summers.
Lightweight, recycled-glass bottles lower shipping emissions and fit snugly in RV cabinets, while cocktail classes swap single-use plastic for metal straws and compostable garnish picks. Ask guides about solar-powered fermenter pumps or carbon-offset shipping labels; they’re eager to share how small tweaks scale into big environmental wins. Your curiosity keeps the sustainability conversation flowing as smoothly as the vodka itself.
Savor and Store Your Souvenir Bottle
Corn-based vodka rewards a gentle chill—55 to 60 °F is perfect, allowing vanilla and sweet-corn notes to bloom without muting aroma. Pour into a tulip-shaped copita and you’ll catch those subtle flavors riding a silky texture that never needs freezer burn to feel smooth. At the resort, build a Savannah Mule: two ounces of local vodka, three ounces ginger-peach shrub, squeeze of lime, copper mug optional but photogenic.
Once opened, keep the bottle upright in a cool, shaded cabinet and tighten the cap between rounds; flavors peak for about a year before slowly flattening. A padded sleeve from the gift shop prevents clinks on travel days, and an unopened bottle makes prime firepit barter when new neighbors roll in. Share your haul responsibly and you’ll turn a simple tasting into campground camaraderie.
Ready to toast your own adventure? Basecamp at Savannah Lakes RV Resort and every corn-to-copper story sits less than an hour away—plus our heated pool, lightning-fast Wi-Fi, and pet-friendly walking trails waiting whenever you roll back in. Sites are filling quickly for harvest season, so reserve your spacious, full-hookup spot now and turn a simple distillery tour into a Lowcountry getaway worth savoring. Book today, pack a copper mug, and we’ll keep the firepit glowing until you arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where can I taste corn-based vodka closest to Savannah Lakes RV Resort, and how long is the drive?
A: Ghost Coast Distillery in downtown Savannah, Savannah Vodka on Indian Street, and Burnt Church Distillery in Bluffton all spotlight corn mashes and sit 55–65 miles from the resort, translating to a 45–75-minute drive depending on traffic around the historic squares.
Q: Do I really need a reservation, or can I just walk in for a tour?
A: Weekday walk-ins sometimes squeeze in, but small-batch operations cap groups at about fifteen and weekend slots sell out fast, so booking online or by phone at least seven days ahead guarantees a spot and lets staff prep any accessibility or kid-friendly add-ons you request.
Q: Are the tours wheelchair-friendly and kept under an hour?
A: Yes, each distillery offers ramps or elevators, wide production-floor aisles, and frequent stool breaks, keeping the narrated portion to roughly 40–50 minutes so Heritage Sippers can enjoy the science without standing fatigue.
Q: Can children join, and will they be bored while adults taste?
A: Families are welcome; kids 8–14 can watch bubbling fermenters, snap photos of the copper stills, and sample house-made soda flights or root beer while the grown-ups compare vodka notes, making it a genuine “Science of Spirits” field trip rather than a bar stop.
Q: Is there a twilight tour I can catch after my last Zoom meeting?
A: Savannah Vodka runs a 5:30 p.m. “golden hour” tour Thursday through Saturday, perfect for Laptop Nomads wrapping work; you’ll be sipping by sunset and back at the resort firepit before the Wi-Fi quiet hours kick in.
Q: What’s the smartest way to avoid driving after a tasting flight?
A: Lyft and Uber both service historic Savannah and Bluffton, with pickup lanes outside each tasting room; scheduling the return ride before your first pour costs about the same as downtown garage parking and keeps Georgia’s 0.08 BAC law off your mind.
Q: Can I park my Class A rig or fifth wheel at the distillery itself?
A: Downtown streets are tight, so it’s best to leave big rigs at Savannah Lakes, then rideshare or carpool in a toad vehicle; if you must drive, Burnt Church offers an overflow gravel lot that fits a 35-footer during non-event hours.
Q: I’m arriving by bike after a morning trail—will my gear be secure?
A: Ghost Coast and Burnt Church both install sturdy bike racks in view of staff, and you can check panniers or helmets at the front desk, freeing you to explore the still house without juggling gear.
Q: Is the vodka truly gluten-free and made from non-GMO corn?
A: All three featured vodkas use 100 percent field corn, which distillation renders naturally gluten-free, and Ghost Coast plus Burnt Church source certified non-GMO grain from farms within 200 miles, a point your guide will proudly explain.
Q: What should I expect to pay for a tour and tasting?
A: Standard adult tickets hover around $20, which covers the guided walk-through and a trio of one-ounce pours; kids’ soda flights run $5, and military, senior, or driver-designated discounts knock a few dollars off at most counters.
Q: Can I buy bottles on-site, and how do I store them safely in my RV?
A: Each gift shop sells 750 ml bottles with padded sleeves that slide neatly into an RV pantry; keep your purchase upright, out of direct sun, and at campground-friendly temps (55–70 °F) to preserve those sweet-corn aromatics for up to a year.
Q: Will my cell signal or hotspot work during the visit?
A: Verizon and AT&T 5G both hit full bars in Savannah’s warehouse district and moderate strength in Bluffton, so video calls, mobile payments, and Instagram uploads of the copper stills should stream smoothly without switching to guest Wi-Fi.
Q: Do the distilleries recycle or reuse their spent corn mash?
A: Yes, sustainable practice is a badge of honor here—each facility trucks spent mash to local hog or cattle farms the same day, reducing waste and turning yesterday’s starch into tomorrow’s protein down on the coast.
Q: Any final tip for unwinding after the excursion?
A: Once you’re back at Savannah Lakes, stir two ounces of your new bottle into a ginger-peach mule, pull up a rocker by the firepit, and swap tasting notes with neighbors under the South Carolina stars—tour memories taste even better in good company.
