Tradition & Craft

Pictured above, on the front doorsteps of the Farmville Courthouse, first row and to the left, is the bootlegger who had been arrested and handcuffed to the county judge for illegally distilling moonshine in Prince Edward County. In the height of Prohibition, illegal production of moonshine was widespread in Virginia because of the rich farmland and secluded mountain ranges. Prince Edward, along with the surrounding counties, was built around farming and agriculture which provided us the one single ingredient that makes the taste of American Bourbon so distinctive: CORN.

The Founding of Bourbon in Virginia

Where Heritage Meets the  Heart of Virginia

Long before bourbon was declared America’s native spirit, its roots were already taking hold in the rich red soil of Virginia.  It was here — among rolling fields of corn and cool limestone springs — that settlers first began to turn grain into whiskey.  They built small stills by hand, firing them with wood and faith, crafting spirits not for fame, but for fellowship.

Dating back to 1620, a colonist in Jamestown, Virginia, George Thorpe may have been the first to distill what we now know as American whiskey. He found that the European barley would not grow well in the American climate, thus leading him to experiment with corn that was given to him by local Native Americans. He wrote in a letter to John Smyth, his business partner, “soe good drinke of Indian corne” that at times was even better than “good stronge Englishe beare.”

When westward expansion carried many of those early distillers into Kentucky, they carried with them the lessons they’d learned in Virginia’s hills — the mash of corn and barley, the charred oak barrels, and the patience to let time do its quiet work.  In this way, Virginia became the birthplace of bourbon’s spirit, if not its modern name.

Today, bourbon has returned home — not as a commodity, but as a calling.  Here in Virginia, distillers once again fire their stills with purpose.  Every barrel laid down honors those who came before, and every pour tells a story of endurance, craftsmanship, and grace.

For us, bourbon isn’t just a drink.

It’s a reflection of our land, our struggle, and our redemption — the fire that forges us, the patience that defines us, and the soul that binds us to this place we call home.