We’ll Drink To That
If You’ve Never Heard Of Fort Mose Before, There’s A Chance You May Soon
The site of the first legally sanctioned free African American settlement in St. Augustine now has a bourbon named after it.
Victor George Spirits, launched in 2007 by namesake Victor G. Harvey, recently released Fort Mosé 1738 nationwide. It is produced at Palm Beach Distillery (PBD) in West Palm Beach. In late 2021, Harvey acquired a majority interest in the first female owned distillery. PBD’s founder and master distiller Summer Piep and Harvey saw this investment as chance to release Fort Mosé.
“When I first got into this industry in 2007 there were very few, if any, Black people with their own brands. I knew I just didn’t want to put a name on something as a private label but wanted to create, make and bottle our own products,” says Harvey. “Our goal is to be the largest Black-owned spirits company in the world.”
Last November Harvey was awarded $2.45 million dollars by the Fort Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Agency to build Fort Lauderdale’s first Black-owned distillery.
Future products include a few flavored vodkas under the VG brand, a full tequila line (yet to be named) and a soon-to-be released special edition aged rum, Riot Girls.
Visit buyfortmose.com.