Timber Creek Distillery

Timber Creek Distilling was formed by Camden Ford and Aaron Barnes, neighbors and friends here in Destin, Florida. Cam and Aaron share the same vision, to take advantage of the best local fruits and grains here in Northwest Florida to make some great local spirits.
Most people dont know about all of the wonderful resources we have right in our back yard. Florida’s #2 industry (behind tourism) is agriculture and here in Northwest Florida, we grow some great local corn, wheat, and rye grains as well as plums, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, and muscodines. Right down the road in Louisiana is the US’s largest sugar refineries turning local sugarcane into sugar and molasses.
Our distillery is now up and running and we are already making some fantastic Rums and a Wheat Vodka. All are silky smooth, but bold in flavor. Yes, we intentionally left a little flavor in our Vodka as well, so you know where it came from.
The distillery itself is located on the Barnes family farm northeast of Crestview, Florida. Talk about enjoying where you work. Long before we imagined building a distillery, the Barnes family purchased this beautiful property and house. The house you see in the pictures has been named Timber Creek Lodge (for obvious reasons) and sits on approximately 1400 acres. The house sits on a bluff overlooking a beautiful creek with a large white sandy beach where the kids spend their days splashing in the water. Behind the house, next to one of the many lakes on the property, is the old barn we now use as a Distillery. We want to thank Aaron’s parents for allowing us to build out the old barn into our distillery. In appreciation for their hospitality, we named our distillery after the property. Timber Creek Distillery is our new home.

Author: Caroline Porsiel

Caroline Porsiel is a master distiller and liqueurist based in East Ellijay, Georgia. She founded House of Applejay, a fine spirits and liqueur distillery, in 2022 with her mother, Sabine, crafting award-winning products like Applejay from Ellijay, Mt. Frozen Knob Vodka, and Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. The distillery won a 2024 Best of Georgia Award and a 2025 Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. As a founding member of the AMBRU Campaign, launched in 2020, Porsiel advocates for the global recognition of American Brandy and Rum. She continues to drive innovation in the craft spirits industry from her active distillery in the heart of Georgia’s apple country.