A New Chapter
on High Street

Olde Towne Distillery is a family-owned craft spirits house rising in Portsmouth, Virginia's historic Olde Towne district — built on heritage, poured by hand.

522 High Street · Portsmouth, Virginia · Opening Soon

PORTSMOUTH VA EST. 2026
To craft exceptional, story-driven spirits in Portsmouth's Olde Towne Historic District — and to reclaim and celebrate the long, under-told history of Black distillers, building a distillery that is not just a business, but a gathering place and a cultural landmark for the community it calls home.
Our Mission
Karl Lawrence, Master Distiller, at work in the distillery
Karl Lawrence, Master Distiller
Our Story

Why we're building this, and why now.

New Hampshire taught me how to distill. Portsmouth is teaching me why.

I spent years running a distillery through New England winters — watching a seasonal business fight the calendar every year for six months of the season we could count on. Somewhere in that grind, my brother Dwight and I started talking about what it would mean to build something together, on our own terms, in a place with a story worth telling.

Portsmouth's Olde Towne district is that place. It's a working waterfront neighborhood with real bones — brick storefronts, a river, a history of craftsmen who built things meant to last. Olde Towne Distillery is our answer: a spirits house rooted in Black distilling heritage, built by family, meant to be a gathering place as much as a production floor.

This site is a placeholder for now — we're mid-buildout at 522 High Street. But everything below is real: the people, the plan, and the reasons we're doing this.

Karl Lawrence CEO & Master Distiller, Olde Towne Distillery
Heritage

The ledger.

A record of where this comes from, kept the way this trade has always kept its records — entry by entry.

Entry01

A craft with a long, under-told history

Distilling didn't begin in Kentucky or Scotland. It runs through West African fermentation traditions, into the Caribbean rum trade built on enslaved labor and skill, and into figures like Nathan "Nearest" Green — the enslaved master distiller who taught the man whose name now sits on Tennessee whiskey bottles. That lineage was rarely credited and is still rarely told. We treat it as history to be honored, not a story to sell bottles — it's the reason Olde Towne exists, not a line in our marketing.

Entry02

A family business, twice built

Karl and Dwight Lawrence have spent years in hospitality and spirits separately — Karl as master distiller of New England Sweetwater Farm & Distillery, Dwight as owner of Thyme on The River, his Portsmouth restaurant. Olde Towne is the first venture they're building together, under one roof.

Entry03

Rooted in Olde Towne

Portsmouth's Olde Towne is one of Virginia's oldest historic districts — brick rowhouses, a working river, and a neighborhood that has always been built by hand. 522 High Street sits inside that history, not next to it.

Entry04

Built to be shared

A tasting room, a cigar lounge, and a hospitality program sit at the center of the plan — because a distillery, done right, is as much a place people gather as a place spirits get made.

The Family

Who's building this.

A small, deliberate team — family at the core, with the right partners brought in around it.

KL

Karl Lawrence

CEO & Master Distiller

Leads distilling operations and the overall vision for Olde Towne. Also Co-Owner and Master Distiller at New England Sweetwater Farm & Distillery.

DL

Dwight Lawrence

Co-Owner & Hospitality Director

Shapes the guest experience — tasting room, cigar lounge, and events. Owner of Thyme on The River, his Portsmouth restaurant.

WC

Wole Coaxum

CFO & Partner

Oversees finance and capital strategy. Former Managing Director at JPMorgan and founder of MoCaFi.

The Portfolio

Twelve pours, four categories.

The Olde Towne lineup, ready to come off the still once distilling comes online at High Street.

03 Expressions

Rum

  • Olde Towne Gold Rum
  • Olde Towne Spiced Rum
  • Olde Towne White Rum
01 Expression

Vodka

  • Olde Towne Vodka
04 Expressions

Ready-to-Drink

  • Olde Towne Island Punch with Rum
  • Olde Towne Lemonade with Vodka
  • Olde Towne Rum Daiquiri Cocktail
  • Olde Towne Mule with Vodka
04 Expressions

Bourbon

  • Olde Towne Bourbon Whiskey
  • Olde Towne Peanut Butter Bourbon
  • Olde Towne Honey Bourbon
  • Olde Towne Peach Honey Bourbon

Tasting notes and release order to be announced as production comes online.

Under Construction

What's coming to High Street.

522 High Street is being built out in phases. Here's what to expect when the doors open.

Phase 1

Tasting Room

A guided pour-through of the full Olde Towne portfolio in a proper Olde Towne setting.

Phase 1

Cigar Lounge

A slower room, built for conversation — spirits and cigars, paired deliberately.

Phase 2

Heritage Tour

Tour, create & bottle your own branded cocktail, and finish with a tasting of our spirits.

Visit

Find us on High Street.

Address
522 High Street
Portsmouth, Virginia 23704
District
Olde Towne Historic District
Status
Currently under construction — opening date to be announced
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Join the founding list for build updates, tasting room news, and an invite to our opening pour.

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