Plunder Worth Pouring and Distilling

From traditional to coconut and coffee rums, Four Hounds Distilling in Carolina Beach serves treasures no pirate could resist.

Lately I have taken to enjoying a small glass of what my German brewer/buddy Dave Hoffman might call “schnappsis.” Just a little light liqueur after-dinner drink to settle the stomach (and the mind) and not ring alarm bells in the bladder during the wee (!) hours.

I have had and enjoyed honey bourbon, Grand Marnier, Sambuca and even an occasional Bailey’s-type Irish Cream. But the other night, I was out of all of them. What was looking me straight in the eye from my liquor cabinet, however, was a 1/4 bottle of Sea Level Rum from Four Hounds Distilling in Carolina Beach.

So I figured (and to stay faithful to the pirate motif), any port in a storm. And a quality sipping rum might just do the trick. Sonofagun, it was absolutely different — and positively delicious.

I had picked up a few bottles of Four Hounds all-natural products when I went to do a story (suggested by my ever-alert-and-tuned-in publisher) last year. And so impressed was I by the concoction that I recently sent a message to Ray Rock, part owner of the distillery business. We arranged a meetup so I could replenish my supply.

That meetup occurred on September 11. The missus (not a rum fancier) and I walked in and met one of Ray’s sons, “Trey” Rock, now the production manager. Turns out Four Hounds has seen some major changes, from ownership and staffing to product lines.

Through a series of recent events, Ray finds himself to be the majority owner. And Ray is not one to rest on his laurels.

He sat me down to sample his four original craft rums — Silver, Porch Dog, Queen’s Share and Sea Level, the delicately flavored rum that drew me there in the first place.

But he also brought out a brand new 48 proof Coffee-Rum liqueur (watch out, Kahlua!), a spectacularly smooth 125 proof rum aged in rye casks for 18 months; a Coconut Rum that will make you rethink your desire for Malibu; and (grab your alimentary canals) a Peppermint Rum, which will challenge any craving for Rumpelminze.

As if that weren’t enough, Trey and Ray allowed that they had now gone into the coffee-roasting business, an acquisition made possible by that nasty unnamed storm that squatted over Carolina Beach and environs in 2024 and caused so much damage to the region, not to mention the former coffee-roaster’s operations.

After buying the business’s equipment, Ray and Trey (guess it’s a family business now) roast their own special blend of coffee and sell it, either in bean form or ground form.

Ray has also arranged with a Raleigh baker, who made his very popular rum cakes, which were not available at my previous visit, to make special desserts using those rum cakes as a base.

Consequently, the missus and I will be enjoying that particular confection — Rum Cake Tiramisu — after dinner very soon. Perhaps with a cup of freshly-ground Four Hounds Coffee. There’s even a plan to use those cakes in a modified Boston Cream Pie.

After all these wonders become manifest, I shall top them off with a small glass of Sea Level Rum, so named because the distillers found out that, when at Sea Level, no additional math is needed for distilling calculations.

This is not to disparage or discourage those who love other spirits, like bourbon or scotch whiskey. By all means, carry on with what pleases your palate — and your soul.

Just be aware that “There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

And enjoying craft rum is one of them.

At Sea Level or elsewhere.

Want to go?
Four Hounds Distilling
1202 N. Lake Park Boulevard, Carolina Beach
(910) 945-0880
fourhoundsdistilling.com
Open Wednesday through Saturday, 12 to 8 pm and Sunday 12 to 5 pm