Lassiter Distilling Company, Knightdale

When Gentry and Rebecca Lassiter could no longer stomach working in the corporate world in Chicago, they did something drastic. They left their cozy office jobs, fled the city to North Carolina, and opened up their own distillery with a mission to make the state's favorite bottle of rum.

They've already made strides toward that goal with Lassiter's North Carolina Rum, which earned itself a silver medal from the American Distilling Institute in 2017. Crafted entirely in-house, the single-run rum achieves its rich flavor from its blend of molasses and sweet, unrefined sugar cane. Visitors can see just how the award-winning rum is made during tours of the distillery, which typically include samples and can run up to an hour.