In the heart of Southwest Georgia, a small-batch distillery with a big personality is making waves across the country. Founded in 2009 by Alton Darby and Kent Cost, Thirteenth Colony Distilleries began as a passion project rooted in family, tradition, and a little Southern ingenuity. Today, the company stands proudly as Georgia’s oldest operating distillery—and its story is as smooth and compelling as the spirits it produces.

In a bright upstairs studio tucked into the historic downtown of Macon, Georgia, Eric O’Dell is doing what he’s always done best—listening, observing, and making. As an associate professor of fine art at Mercer University and a dedicated artist in his own right, O'Dell brings a rare blend of humility, craftsmanship, and emotional depth to his work and his teaching. His journey began, perhaps unsurprisingly, with a moment of clarity at 18: “You’ve got to do what you love,” his high school English teacher told him. For O'Dell, that turned out to be art.

Scott Tyson remembers, “It was a gut punch when we first learned of his diagnosis. I remember calling my mother and pastor after we got the news and I had a hard time even speaking to them. I couldn’t get words to exit my mouth.” Scott’s young son, Mason, had cancer.