Women Who Whiskey - Part II

The Women Who Whiskey event was, very simply, a great time. (Read about part I here.) It was well run and organized and at the same time very laid back and comfortable. Sometimes life gives us these little treats of a day: feel-good weekend afternoons with good music, good friends, and good spirits. You can't go wrong with a mix like that, really. Like a classic dance song, it's guaranteed to lift the mood of those who come along.

If you're feeling a little ho-hum and need a change, call a friend, grab a dram, and listen to this ageless number by by Blue Swede - Hooked on a Feeling:

It was a beautiful Fall day with clear skies and mild temperatures. A little chill on the air reminded us that winter was near, but the sunshine and blue skies assured us that it was not there yet. After my friend and I met a few of the local fellows and listened to some live music from the band, we were hungry.

There were two wonderful food truck options available to us: Blue Mountain Grill and Spiked Booze Infused Sliders & Subs. It was hard to decide, but I finally went with the veggie tacos from the Spiked Truck and the Pumpkin Cheesecake from Blue Mountain. My friend got the soup and grilled cheese from Blue Mountain. It was all fantastic.

One of the coolest parts about the event was meeting all the interesting folks who were tasting and pouring the whiskeys and other spirits. There were also a few booths offering edible wares. The good feeling vibe pervaded every stop we made. It was clear that the folks there were passionate about their craft, whichever it was.

At many of the booths, it was the owners or creators of the companies offering samples. It was quite a treat to meet, first hand, the very person(s) who created the spirit I was about to meet or the food I was about to eat.

We met Izzy from Caramont Farm, and John and Nancy from Goodwin Creek Bakery. It was hard to choose, but my friend and I both decided to buy a baguette for the trip home.


Bill from KO distilling was there with several of his fellows. His name tag identified his position of "Thirst Responder," which I found very clever and amusing. Through conversation I also realized that he was one of the founding partners of the distillery.

I introduced myself to two of the whiskies - the Virginia Moon White Whiskey and their newest - Bare Knuckle Bourbon. The White Whiskey was intense, as Bill warned me he would be. I accepted the offer to temper this one with a bit of pineapple juice. The Bourbon, though, was smooth peppery spice with a musky finish. This newest addition to the KO family fit right in with the theme of the event. The front label features a historical woman who was a boxer, and the back label offers homage to women, in general, who have fought for their families, their voices, and their dreams.


As we sat listening to music, we met a woman who had done all of these things. Diana was a new business owner having recently added entrepreneur to her other titles of veteran and mother. She told us of her confectionery creations, and a little of the story behind the inception of her business, Lillie Pad Creations. - "If you don't find what you love, you're just gonna die."

Lately I've been hearing this sentiment from more and more people. There seems to be a collective awareness rising about the importance of following your passion.


 Looking around at all the people at this event who are bravely entering into the risky venture of running their own businesses, it was inspiring. Some of the businesses have been around for generations and some are barely a few years old, but there is that common bond. The road is the same, even if they are at different points along it, and one can act as mentor for another.

The importance of having a mentor or guide in ventures such as this cannot be underestimated; forging a path down these roads is always challenging, and often risky.
 

And yet, you can't let that stop you. As Diana told us, you need to find what you love. I would take that a step further, as well. You need to find what makes you come alive...and then you've got to go and do it.

 

 Success is guaranteed to no one, but if you never try, it's guaranteed that you'll never succeed.

As I contemplated these thoughts, we continued to visit the different booths and meet more of the local fellows. At the Vitae both, I tasted the Golden Rum, which was sweet and creamy. It probably would have paired well with the pumpkin cheesecake, but my timing was off and I finished the rum before the cheesecake showed up.

One of the last stops I made in the day was to the A. Smith Bowman booth. Jacob and Tori, who were pouring, introduced the selection of brothers with the boast of being the oldest legal distillery in Virginia. I try not to let lineage impress me too much when I meet a new whiskey, but the next fact they told me about peaked my curiosity. Bowman's Single Barrel Bourbon is the first whiskey ever to win the "World's Best" competition two years in a row. There's a lot to be said for consistency and quality in that statement. 

There were a few others there I wanted to meet as well but it was getting late in the day, and I had the conversations of the many new fellows I met swirling in my head. I had a short conversation with the esteemed Single Barrel Bourbon and I was quite impressed, to be honest. He was smooth, sweet, and balanced. I knew I'd have to make plans to meet him (and his Port Finished brother) in the near future.

Soon after, we realized that sunset was near and it was time to go. I took one last quick walk around to at least shake hands with some of the fellows I didn't get a chance to chat with: the Kopper Kettle boys from Belmont, the group from Chesepeake Bay, and the lone rogue from Ironclad.

Happy and sated, my friend and I gathered our wares and headed back for the bus ride with Earl. As we neared the end of our journey, the Blue Swede song came on the bus radio and we all sang along. It was a perfect ending to the day.

Women Who Whiskey - Part I

I love the Scotch lads, and the journey to find the perfect Scotch has been amazing. With the recent scarcity of Talisker Storm, however, it has occurred to me that perhaps I should broaden my horizons. There are lot of whiskeys of different styles, tastes, and backgrounds, right here in my own state. Maybe spending more time with the fellows closer to home would be a refreshing change.

So when I heard of a nearby event - Women Who Whisky - this seemed like a perfect opportunity. There would be eight different local distilleries represented, each presenting a few different gentlemen, at least. Local options never fail to impress when it comes to music, so I expected it would be the same with the whiskey. The Sally Rose Band is a perfect example of the amazing local music that is around this area.

Sally is a talented musician, songwriter, and performer. Her music is funky and jazzy with beautiful southern soul melodies, and her band was scheduled to play at the whiskey tasting event. It was promising to be a wonderful time. I asked a friend to come along with me, and we planned to go for the day. Have a taste of what's local and listen to the Sally Rose Band perform Bones:

The event was very well planned and organized. It was hosted at Virginia Distillery, and run by the Virginia Distillers Association. Parking was off site, and we were shuttled by Cville Hop On Tours a few miles down the road to the tasting.

Every single person who was part of this event was super friendly. Our first experience of this was with Earl, the driver who shuttled us to the warehouse where the tasting was being held. His bus was bedazzled in stickers from all of the distilleries, breweries and vineyards he had travelled to.

The weather was great, the passengers were in good spirits, and it really set a great tone for the rest of the day. We were ready to meet some great new whiskies and have an amazing time doing it.

Something that I noticed right away about a lot of these local fellows, is that they were very natural. Many of the distilleries try to use only local ingredients and often organic as well. This is very impressive to me.

The first group we decided to meet was the Belle Isle brothers. Made from 100% organic corn, there were four there: Their original premium moonshine, ruby red grapefruit, honey habanero, and cold brew coffee flavors. I started with the original. A clear spirit, and its taste was sweet and spicy, sharp and creamy.

The first impression was a good one. My friend started a conversation with the coffee fellow, and I butted in a bit. One sip of the coffee moonshine, and I was enamored. But this was just the first stop. It was early in the day, and there were lots more boys to meet. We thanked the folks and moved on.

We moved to the other side of the room, trying to find the least crowded table, and we came to meet Kyle of Dickie Brothers Orchard. My friend noticed the circa 1750 on their banner and inquired about that very impressive date. We learned that the land was originally sold to the family by King George II and the farm has stayed family-owned for 8 generations.

Kyle was offering apple sauce for sale, but also samples of local pippin apples soaked in some of the Virginia Distillery's Highland Malt. They were delicious. I'd met the VA Highland about a year ago, and he was very lovely. Like a Scotch in almost all ways but name, he had previously been my favorite local whisky. I was curious to see if that would change.

Since we had a taste for the Highland, we soon went over to the VA Distillery's table to see who was there to meet. They had the Port Finished Highland (the one I knew and loved) and a brother of his - a Cider Cask Finished whisky.

Marian, who was pouring, introduced me. The brother was nice enough, and I could see having a lot of fun with him on a camping trip in the summer, for example, or something like that. But to me, he didn't measure up to the original. It had been a while though, and although we couldn't spend too much time together at this event, I made a mental note to seek out the VA Highland again before too long.

Time was flying by as we stopped and chatted with the folks who worked at the distilleries, and then met and chatted with the various different whiskies. There were a lot to meet! And it wasn't just whisky, there was also rum and vodka as well. As always with group gatherings like this, I never seem to have enough time with any one particular fellow to really get to know him.

I wasn't too worried though. I reminded myself that this was just a tasting - a meet and greet to see who I might want to chat up afterwards. So my friend and I sat down with a bit of whiskey in our glasses to listen to the band play for a while. We didn't sit for too long, though - this day was really just beginning!