Zeb Williams

“Most Famous Forgotten Distillery”

When Zebulon Vance “Zeb” Williams talks about his family’s whiskey, it isn’t just business; it’s heritage. He grew up surrounded by old stories of barrels rolled down dirt roads, of revenuers smashing bottles with axes, and of ancestors whose distilling talents brought North Carolina whiskey to the world stage. For Zeb, reviving the Old Nick Williams Distillery was never simply about making bourbon. It was about bringing his family history back to life.

The Williams family story stretches back to 1768, when Joseph Williams, Zeb’s fourth great-grandfather, founded a distillery on nearly 8,000 acres of farmland in Forsyth County, North Carolina. Those early stills made corn whiskey that locals swore by. Over generations, the Williams brand grew into a household name, known far beyond state lines. By the late 1800s, Zeb’s ancestor Nicholas “Glen” Williams turned the family’s spirit into a nationally recognized product. Glen rebranded the whiskey as Old Nick Williams, showcased it at the Chicago World’s Fair and the Paris Exposition, and built the family brand into one of the most famous in the United States. But Prohibition, followed closely by Glen’s untimely death in 1913, ended that chapter. For decades, the distillery was silent, its history packed away in safes, barns, and memory. Zeb knew that those relics, and the pride his family carried in their name, set the stage for his future, even if he didn’t realize it at first.

Unlike his ancestors, Zeb didn’t start his career in whiskey. Born in the mid-1970s, he came of age at a time when North Carolina’s liquor laws were strict and family distilling was a memory, not a livelihood. Instead, Zeb pursued a career in advertising, building a mobile billboard business. His company specialized in large-format banners, vehicle wraps, and promotional campaigns. That work might have seemed far afield from whiskey-making, but it gave Zeb valuable skills: branding, marketing, and how to capture people’s attention. Those tools would later become crucial when he decided to relaunch his family’s legacy.

The spark to revive the distillery came in the early 2010s. Family members began uncovering long-forgotten documents, artifacts, and even a safe filled with historic records from the original operation. Those discoveries, coupled with the nationwide revival of craft distilling, convinced Zeb that the time was right. So in 2014, Zeb teamed up with his cousin Matt Williams, along with their fathers, Van and John Williams. Together, they set out to bring Old Nick Williams Distillery back to life on the same Lewisville, North Carolina, land their ancestors had worked centuries earlier.

Zeb often says he couldn’t have done it alone. His cousin and distillery co-owner Matt plays a central role in the business. Matt, a paramedic pilot who flies medical helicopters, brings a hands-on, practical approach to building and running the distillery. When not flying, Matt can be found fixing equipment, helping manage production, or welcoming guests. The cousins make a complementary team: Zeb brings his marketing background and vision for brand revival, while Matt contributes the technical and operational grit needed to keep a distillery running. Together, they have built not just a business, but a destination.