Aaron Barnes

Aaron Barnes is the co-founder and Master Distiller of Timber Creek Distillery, Florida's most awarded grain-to-glass craft spirits producer, located on a family farm just north of Destin in Crestview, Florida.

Aaron's path to distilling started early. Long before he was old enough to drink, he was homebrewing—teaching himself the science of fermentation, temperature control, and how to coax sugars from grain. That hands-on foundation became the backbone of everything Timber Creek produces today.

His philosophy is straightforward: he can't compete on volume, so he competes on excellence. That means making ruthless decisions about quality—discarding batches, making aggressive cuts, and saying no when other distillers might say good enough. It's a standard reflected in Timber Creek's accolades, which include a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, a prestigious B+ rating from The Whiskey Reviewer, and recognition as one of Florida's top distilleries.

A longtime Florida real estate broker and brokerage owner, Aaron brings the same disciplined business mindset to the distillery that he's applied to over two decades in entrepreneurship.

One of his proudest accomplishments at Timber Creek is the private label program—helping restaurants, hotels, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs build their own spirit brands from scratch. Giving others the tools to create something they're proud of is, to Aaron, just as rewarding as the spirits themselves.

A devoted father and dog lover, Aaron built Timber Creek with one goal in mind: to make it your happy place.