The release is said to be a “tribute to the essence of the state’s Blue Ridge Mountains,” combining ingredients with aging in Virginia’s dynamic climate to produce an American Single Malt. Crafted from 100% malted barley and aged for a minimum of four years in first-fill bourbon barrels from premium Kentucky distilleries, this 93 proof whiskey is further refined by a finishing period in virgin toasted oak barrels from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

“Our goal with Blue Ridge Toasted Oak was to create a whisky that captures the spirit of our Blue Ridge Mountain home,” said Gareth Moore, CEO at Virginia Distillery Company. “By combining first-fill bourbon barrels with virgin toasted oak barrels from Virginia, we’ve achieved a whisky with exceptional depth and complexity. We are proud to celebrate National Virginia Day with this unique expression and share it with both our loyal customers and those new to the American Single Malt category.”

Virginia Distillery Company’s Blue Ridge Select Toasted Oak Finish American Single Malt Whisky will be available this fall for $44.95.

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This limited release began in December 2006 when seven charred oak barrels were filled and rested for eight years and three months. From there, the barrels were consolidated into two-and-a-half barrels to be finished. First the whiskey was finished in Potomac Point Winery port barrels for four years and seven months. Then it was transferred into sauterne barrels for two months before being bottled yesterday, bringing the total age of this whiskey to 13 years.

The Twice Finished Whiskey was bottled at 100 proof, and will be very limited. These bottles were only be released to Virginia through the A. Smith Bowman Distillery gift shop while supply lasts.

The total age of this bourbon is 13 years, it is bottled at 100 proof and retail for $69.99.

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Hosted by Tarnished Truth Distilling Co., the festival will feature around 15 distilleries from Virginia, including Jos. A. Magnus and KO Distilling. Attendees will enjoy unlimited tastings from the region’s finest bourbons and artisanal spirits along with access to Emerson’s Cigar bar. The event will also feature a selection of culinary offerings from the area’s eateries and live entertainment.

Virginia Bourbon Invitational attendees can choose from three admission levels:

• General Admission | The Cavalier ($125 per person): Event entry at 1pm, unlimited bourbon and artisanal spirits tastings, small plates, live entertainment and cigar bar access
• VIP | The Connoisseur ($195 per person): Early event entry at 12pm featuring exclusive high-end tastings, unlimited bourbon and artisanal spirits tastings, small plates, live entertainment, cigar bar access, and a gift bag from participating distilleries
• Non-Taster | The Conservateur ($60 per person): Event entry at 1pm, small plates, live entertainment and cigar bar access

Tarnished Truth and the Cavalier Hotel will also host exclusive events throughout the weekend for invitational attendees, including specialty dinners, cocktail hours and a Distiller’s Sunday Brunch.

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Tarnished Truth Distillery is the first and only distillery based within a hotel. Tarnished Truth 3 Year High Rye, which first launched in October which first launched in October by VA locals Andrew Yancey and Josh Canada and helmed by veteran distiller Larry Ebersol, is deeply rooted in Virginia’s history as the birthplace of bourbon and their three finely crafted small batch artisan bourbons are a celebration of the state’s history and legacy in bourbon. 

The aforementioned whiskey lovers should check out, Tarnished Truth’s luxury Virginia x Bourbon experience. Priced at $25,000, the Presidential Bourbon Barrel Club includes a customized Bourbon Mash (Bourbon to be Aged in the Tarnished Truth Distilling Co. Tasting Room, for Up to 8 Years); up to 300 bottles of Bourbon (if aged for 3 years) or up to 150 bottles (if aged for the full 8 years); personalized name etching on barrel; commemorative inscription on a personalized plaque in the Tarnished Truth Tasting Room; tasting of personalized Bourbon annually; and one night of complimentary accommodations in the Presidential Suite of the Cavalier Hotel (once a year for up to 8 years).

Tarnished Truth High Rye, a straight bourbon whiskey aged 3 years, features aromas of butterscotch, maple syrup, and cinnamon with a balance of toasted oak, honey vanilla, spices, and clove to taste. It is available for purchase across Virginia and at select retail and drinking establishments in Washington, D.C.

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However, from that lost something beautiful has arisen. The Virginia distillery is releasing two limited edition whiskies in honor Cox, and it will be donating all proceeds to Shriner’s Hospital for Children.

These whiskies come from two single barrels, including the “First Whiskey Barrel” and the “Emerson Cox Barrel,” known as the Truman Cox Commemorative Series. The “First Whiskey Barrel” is the very first barrel Truman distilled at A. Smith Bowman. The barrel was filled on Dec. 7, 2010 and is signed by Truman and former Master Distiller Joe Dangler, a 33-year veteran distiller, and whom Truman studied under before succeeding him.

This single barrel whiskey smells of apple and dried cherries, cinnamon, caramel and toasted oak. Tasting notes for this whiskey describe it as being “Sweet and smooth with toasted pecan and almond with hints of brown sugar. Slight heat from the high proof with the rye character lingering on in the flavor. A touch of water opens it up and mellows the heat a bit, which allows the subtle background flavors to shine through.” The whiskey from this barrel was bottled at 139.6 barrel proof.

The “Emerson Cox Barrel” is named after Truman’s daughter. This barrel was transferred from Buffalo Trace Distillery to A. Smith Bowman on Nov. 14, 2012 in celebration of “Emmy’s” adoption. The barrel features a tracing of Emmy’s hand on the barrel head. This rye bourbon has an aroma of stone fruit, rye, corn, and white pepper, giving way to vanilla and toasted graham cracker. The taste is described as “Sweet corn and toasty caramel,” with a medium body and slight spiciness, that clears off the palette. The bourbon from this barrel was bottled at 90 proof.

Truman became the master distiller at A. Smith Bowman in 2011 after working with Dangler who trained him on the intricacies of “Mary” the whiskey still, and taught him about the Distillery’s history. Before accepting his dream job at A. Smith Bowman, Truman worked at Buffalo Trace Distillery. He received several years of intense training from Master Distillers Elmer T. Lee, Gary Gayheart and Harlen Wheatley at Buffalo Trace, learned about barrel aging from Ronnie Eddins and Leonard Riddle, and honed the craft of quality and blending from Master Blender Drew Mayville. Truman died suddenly in 2013 at age 44. His knowledge and charismatic personality have been missed in the industry ever since, though his influence lives on through the spirits he had a hand in creating, as well as through this commemorative release.

In accordance with the wishes of Truman’s family, all proceeds will be donated to Shriner’s Hospital for Children. Both whiskies were only available through a lottery system and were priced at $99.99 each.

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MurLarkey Distilled Spirits recently announced the addition of two all-natural infused whiskeys, Three Tea and Honey, to its current collection of certified craft distilled spirits.

MurLarkey’s Three Tea is barrel-aged with a blend of Darjeeling, Black, and Earl Grey teas. The result is reminiscent of freshly brewed tea with sweet, subtle floral notes and undertones that hint at orange peels and honey.

Utilizing all-natural, hand-harvested, local honey from MurLarkey Product Master George “Papi” Zwetkow’s personal hive, the Honey whiskey is barrel-aged for a smooth finish–reminiscent of oak and caramel flavors.

Handcrafted and certified gluten-free, these two new creations were the invention of Papi and Co-Founder & President Mike Larkin, who spent months researching and developing these unique flavor blends.

Since 2016, with a 23-gallon copper still, second generation Irish-American cousins Tom Murray and Mike Larkin, along with a small team of family and friends, began distilling small-batch spirits. The award-winning Virginia distillery sells bottles of Three Tea now at its Bristow distillery and available by special order through Virginia ABC stores. Honey will become available for purchase later this fall.

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In Virginia, A. Smith Bowman Distillery is among them. The Spotsylvania County-based distiller recently announced the latest release in its Abraham Bowman line of experimental whiskey, the Abraham Bowman Sweet XVI Bourbon.

This limited release explores how barrel entry proof affects bourbon flavor profile over long aging periods. The bourbon was allowed to age for sixteen years prior to bottling. This release is comprised of a bourbon recipe that was distilled to a typical distillation proof. It was then barreled in new charred American white oak barrels at four different entry proofs.  The four entry proofs chosen for this experiment were 125, 114, 105, and 90 proof. Each of the barrel proofs were evaluated individually over the course of sixteen years before marrying the barrels together.

According to Master Distiller Brian Prewitt, the end result features tasting notes that include “sweet caramel, dried figs and cherry in the nose” and a taste that is “wonderfully sweet with flavors of cinnamon, vanilla, and other brown spice in a pleasant and remarkable long finish.”

The Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Sweet XVI Bourbon is part of a series of limited edition whiskies, named after Abraham Bowman, the commander of the 8th Virginia Regiment in the American Revolutionary War. Each edition of the Abraham line is a different expression and a new release is offered a few times a year.  This is the 17th release in the Abraham line.

The Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Sweet XVI Series Bourbon, which retails for $69.99, is currently only available in Virginia, however limited amounts will be available in other states this summer. The Abraham Bowman series aims to release new and different expressions of innovative whiskey for each release, so it is unlikely this exact bourbon will be repeated — making them one of a kind.

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