By DCist contributor Nathan Wilkinson
Virginia might be best known for its wineries, but the commonwealth also leads the way in craft whiskey production with three distilleries that are attracting the attention of spirits aficionados across the country. Few states outside of Kentucky can claim such a foothold on the small batch and locally produced whiskey market as Virginia, which is good news for D.C. denizens. All three distilleries are about an hour drive west of the city and are located in scenic areas, but each has their own take on how they make whiskey. Catoctin Creek is known for organic rye; A. Smith Bowman is a large-scale bourbon producing distillery; and Copper Fox experiments with single malt Virginia whiskey.
Catoctin Creek Distilling Company
The first new distillery opened in Virginia since before prohibition, Catoctin Creek (120 West Main Street, Purcellville, Va.) was founded in 2009 by Becky and Scott Harris. They use locally sourced and organic ingredients in their small batch rye whiskey, pear brandy, gin and un-aged white spirit.
Rye whiskey is garnering a lot of attention from whiskey drinkers looking to expand their taste horizons beyond the uniformity of Kentucky bourbon. One of the most difficult types of whiskey to produce well, rye gets its spicy flavor from a higher percentage of rye grain used in the mash before distillation. Catoctin Creek’s award winning Roundstone Rye is 100 percent rye and comes in 80- and 92-proof labels. Its robust flavor can be described as deliciously woody, with notes of caramel and butter toffee with a crisp citrusy finish.
Tours are available daily and cost $5 per person. Stay for a tasting and sample any of the spirits available for purchase on-site. You can also sample mini cocktails made from Catoctin Creek products. Tastings range from $5 to $10.
A. Smith Bowman Distillery
This large industrial distillery is situated on the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg (1 Bowman Drive). Founded by A. Smith Bowman in 1927, Bowman’s sons continued production of bourbon and vodka following prohibition. Bowman can call their product “bourbon” because they use raw spirits distilled in Kentucky and shipped to Fredericksburg, where they refine and age the distillate in charred oak barrels.
Bowman is best known for its Virginia Gentleman and Bowman Bourbon rail liquors. But recently, master distiller Brian Prewitt began crafting top-shelf vodka, gin, rum and small batch and single barrel bourbons. The 100-proof John J. Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a fine example of Kentucky pioneer whiskey. It has a rich oaky nose, with flavors of toffee, figs and almonds.
Free tours leave on the hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and feature the large-scale vats and stills, the massive barrel warehouse and the bottling process. Visit the distillery shop for a tasting and a chance to purchase limited edition Abraham Bowman Whiskey.
Copper Fox Distillery
Copper Fox (9 River Lane, Sperryville, Va.) is the smallest distillery of the three and stands in contrast to the others as the only producer of single malt Virginia whiskey. Master distiller Rick Wasmund was inspired by the malted barley and peat-smoked whiskey of Scotland where he was an apprentice distiller. He began using scotch distillation techniques in Virginia in 2000.
Their flagship whiskey, Wasmund’s Single Malt, is characterized by apple and cherry wood smokiness and assertive malt and fruit flavor with undercurrents of charred oak. Copper Fox also produces a 73 percent rye blended whiskey and a single malt gin that use the same locally grown barley of their single malt whiskey offering.
Touring Copper Fox is the best way to see the entire whiskey-making process under one roof—beginning with smoking barley over an antique wood stove, and ending with hand-dipping bottles in hot wax. There are no tastings, but the gift shop offers the full range of products. Purchase a barrel kit and two bottles of un-aged malted or rye spirit, and you can experiment with aging whiskey at home in your own small barrel.
