Sharp Minds, Loose Talks With Wonderbird Spirits

Rob of Wonderbird Spirits with their No 61 Gin.

At Acme Wine Company, we love meeting the passionate people behind the bottles we admire—and few stories are as inspiring or as rooted in purpose as that of Wonderbird Spirits. During a recent meeting we had the pleasure of sitting down with Rob Forster, one of the co-founders of this remarkable craft distillery.

Just an eight-minute drive south of Oxford on Old Taylor Road, Wonderbird Spirits holds the proud title of North Mississippi’s first distillery. Opened in spring 2019, it’s the product of heart, grit, and a whole lot of hands-on learning by three friends: Rob Forster, Chand Harlow, and Thomas Alexander. 

Rob’s journey to gin wasn’t a straight line. Formerly a corporate lawyer, he found himself unfulfilled and at a crossroads following a series of events that made him realize just how short life is.That moment was a turning point—he realized time is precious and set out to build a new kind of life in Oxford. He called up Thomas (who came all the way from Texas) and realized they saw the same spark when it came to the potential of creating a really great product. The two didn’t just talk about their dream—they rented a bulldozer and started building. They designed the distillery, constructed it mostly themselves, and committed to learning the craft of gin making from scratch. No consultants, no shortcuts. They wanted to be "grain to glass"—every step done in-house, the old-fashioned way. Rob says it best: “We had one shot to do this right.” After taking 2.5 years to build, research, and refine, Wonderbird went to market in May 2019. Since then, they’ve raised funds, expanded their capacity tenfold, and stayed laser-focused on one goal: to become known globally as a world-class gin producer. They’re not chasing trends or diversifying. They’re doing one thing—and doing it exceptionally well.

Their search for the right foundation ingredient led them on a six-month journey, which ended at the local Two Brooks Farm. There, they discovered culinary jasmine rice, a fragrant and beautiful Mississippi crop that would become the soul of their spirit. Their process borrows from traditional sake-making—fermenting the rice to create a base spirit that’s clean, nuanced, and uniquely expressive. Unlike traditional neutral grain spirits, they stop short of stripping away the rice’s character, allowing the subtle sweetness and complexity to shine through. Wonderbird is now one of only three distilleries in the world producing rice-based gin, and the only one outside of Japan.

Wonderbird’s flagship gin features 10 botanicals, each individually distilled to achieve the perfect cut. Rob and his team spent three months just sourcing the right juniper—delicate, soft, and expressive. The lineup includes fresh Meyer lemons flown in from Temecula, black Tellicherry peppercorns, coriander, bay leaf, and chopped rosemary. They even continue to go door to door, asking the locals to pick their Magnolia blossoms (the state flower) to use in their one-of-a-kind Magnolia gin. The result of this relentless pursuit of high quality and unique ingredients? A gin that’s layered, complex, and unlike anything else we’ve tasted. Even the bottling process is a labor of love. Without a bottling line, it’s just the three founders, some good music (or a true crime podcast), and 600 bottles to fill by hand.

If you’re in the Oxford area, a visit to Wonderbird is a must. The distillery offers tours and tastings, giving you an inside look at their process, their story, and their spirits. It’s a chance to experience firsthand the beauty and integrity behind every bottle. We left our meeting inspired—not just by the gin, but by the people behind it. At Acme Wine Company, we’re proud to support producers like Wonderbird Spirits who lead with passion, authenticity, and a deep love of their craft. Here’s to doing things the right way, even when it’s the hard way. Cheers to Wonderbird.