2020 Q1 Spirited VA - 15

C Copper Fox Distillery

Sperryville (and Williamsburg)

Inspired by both American and Scottish
distilleries, founder Rick Wasmund
determined that Copper Fox would distill
whiskey using barley that was malted on
site. Wasmund further refined his concept,
then opened in 2005 with a traditional
malt floor and kiln, using local fruitwoods
to smoke and dry the grain, as well as
distilling equipment to put the malt to use.
Copper Fox Distillery starts with locally
grown barley, developed at Virginia Tech.
Look for a variety of whiskies-single malts
and rye and various barrel finishes-as well
as gin. Copperfoxdistillery.com
D Falls Church Distillers

Falls Church
The Falls Church Distillers location serves as
more than just a tasting room. Founded in
2017 by a father-and-son team, Michael and
Lorenzo Paluzzi, the business draws from the
family's Italian heritage and offers a full menu
of Italian food, and then some, as well as wine,
beer and nonalcoholic beverages, plus liquor
in tastings and cocktails. Falls Church spirits
include whiskey, gin, vodka, rum liqueur and
apple brandy. Fcdistillers.com
E KO Distilling

Manassas

Lifelong friends Bill Karlson and John O'Mara
met as classmates and cadet midshipmen at
the United States Merchant Marine Academy,
remained friends and came together in this
distilling venture years later. After offering
unaged whiskey and gins upon opening
in 2015, KO Distilling released its first aged
spirit, Bare Knuckle American Wheat
Whiskey, in November 2016. Consumers can
choose among variations in KO's whiskies-
including bourbon, wheat and rye -and
gins. Kodistilling.com
F Mt. Defiance Cidery & Distillery

have focused on "lost spirits," products
once forgotten because of post-Prohibition
mass production and outdated laws.
Besides traditional cider, the team creates
a diversity of spirits: apple brandy, rum
(early Americans' first craft liquor), sweet
vermouth, cassis liqueur, amaretto
and whiskey. The distillery's traditional
French-style absinthe arises from a late19th century recipe and is distilled using
whole botanicals-including Virginia-grown
grand wormwood, roman wormwood and
hyssop. Mtdefiance.com
G Mount Vernon Distillery

Mount Vernon

In 1799, George Washington's distillery is
said to have produced nearly 11,000 gallons
of liquor-mostly whiskey-making it one
of the young nation's largest distilleries.
In 2007, the distillery was re-created, and
today it produces spirits similar to those
from years gone by. The small-batch
spirits are limited, but guests can visit
the reconstruction of the distillery as
well as the gristmill, where Washington's
workers produced flour and cornmeal.
MountVernon.org/the-estate-gardens/
distillery
H MurLarkey Distilled Spirits

Bristow

The founders' heritage made opening a
distillery a natural: Irish-American cousins
Tom Murray and Mike Larkin (hence
"MurLarkey") worked with friends and
family to create small-batch spirits that
embody their Irish heritage. The distilled
spirits lineup includes whiskey (of course!),
such as unaged Justice White Whiskey,
but from there, the tastes sparkle like a
leprechaun at the end of the rainbow. Think
Smokehouse Whiskey, wine-cask-finished
Heritage Whiskey, vodka and gin-plus
whiskies infused with cinnamon, lemon,
coffee and more. MurLarkey.com

Middleburg

Since opening in 2014, managing partner
Marc Chretien and lead distiller Peter Ahlf

-Annie Tobey

SPIRITED VIRGINIA | JANUARY | FEBRUARY | MARCH 2020 15
http://www.Mtdefiance.com http://www.Copperfoxdistillery.com http://www.loneriderspirits.com http://www.MountVernon.org/the-estate-gardens/ http://www.Fcdistillers.com http://www.Kodistilling.com http://www.MurLarkey.com
2020 Q1 Spirited VA

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