#kodistilling

Submitted by Bill Karlson, Co-Founder/CEO, KO Distilling

 In 2013, when John and I were first thinking about opening a craft distillery, we visited many in the area, including A. Smith Bowman in Fredericksburg; Catoctin Creek in Purcellville; and Copper Fox in Sperryville.  What struck us was how cool it was to see first-hand how distilled spirits were made.  We quickly realized that for us to be successful, we needed to provide visitors with a fulfilling experience.  We wanted KO to become a travel/tourism destination. 

In our 12,000 square foot space, we have a beautifully decorated and furnished 2,500 sq ft area we call our Visitor’s Center.  This copper and oak-themed space is where we begin and end our guided tours of the facility, provide our spirit tastings, and conduct spirit bottle and merchandise sales.  Effective July 1, VA ABC regulations changed to allow us to provide higher quality tastings.  We can now offer 3 oz. of spirits, to include a classic tasting of 0.5 oz. samples of each of our spirits or two cocktails, each featuring 1.5 oz. of one of our spirits. So, you can now enjoy a classic gin & tonic.  Even better – try our Manassas Mule, which is our Virginia Moon White Whiskey, Goslings Ginger Beer, lime juice and slice of lime.  You can now enjoy tastings anywhere in our Visitor’s Center or outside on our patio. 

We offer our Visitor’s Center for special events, including private functions.  Our occupancy load is 88 persons.  We have had Thanksgiving dinner, private parties, baby showers, rehearsal dinners, and even yoga classes in our upfront area.  Check out our web site for more information on renting our Visitor’s Center for your own private functions at very reasonable rates. 

My business partner, John O’Mara, and I are pleased to report that we have had a great first year at KO Distilling.  It’s been hard work, but also very rewarding and a whole lot of fun. We are proud to be the 19th operating distillery in Virginia and one of over 1,200 (and growing) craft distilleries in the United States.   

At KO, we have two missions:  (1) to make and sell high-quality, locally made, craft spirits at reasonable prices, and (2) provide a travel/tourism destination.  In this blog post, we’d like to concentrate on the first mission.   We now make and sell four spirits (VA ABC Product Code and Price provided): 

·   Battle Standard 142 Gin (Navy Strength), 114 proof, #29314, $34.99/bottle

·   Battle Standard 142 Gin (Standard Strength), 90 proof, #29316, $29.99/bottle

·   Battle Standard 142 Gin (Barrel Finished), 90 proof, #29312, $36.09/bottle

·   Virginia Moon White Whiskey, 90 proof, #27910, $29.99/bottle

You can purchase all four at our KO Distillery Store or via special order at any local ABC store. The Navy Strength gin is “listed” and on the shelves of 100 ABC stores.  All four of our spirits are certified as Virginia’s Finest products and nationally as Craft Distilled Spirits.   

The gins are named after the 142 Cadet/Midshipmen at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY (John’s and my alma mater) who lost their lives at sea during WWII.  They are not as juniper-forward as London Dry gins.  The Navy Strength gin is named after the British Navy’s tradition of giving its liquor rations to its crew at 114 proof.  The Barrel Finished gin is “rested” in used Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for 5 months, giving the spirit a golden hue and smooth bourbon-flavored finish. It’s wonderful. 

Virginia Moon is an unaged whiskey made from 60% wheat, 30% rye and 10% malted barley, all sourced from local farms in Virginia. We mill the grain on- site, then mash, ferment and double-distill it.  Unlike unaged corn whiskeys which can have a harsh taste, Virginia Moon has a sweet flavor with a peppery finish. 

Notably, our spirits have been awarded medals in each spirits competition in which we have entered.  Just this week, we received our first gold medal (ironically during the Summer Olympics).  It was awarded by the MicroLiquor Spirits Competition for worldwide craft spirits for our Barrel Finished gin.  Our Virginia Moon has received one silver and three bronze medals this past year. 

KO also makes brown/aged spirits.  In November, we will be releasing our first brown spirit – Bare Knuckle American Wheat Whiskey.  It’s a wheat whiskey that has been aged in new charred American Oak barrels for one year.  In 2017, we will be releasing our first small batch bourbon and rye whiskeys. 

SAVE THE DATE:  On Saturday, September 17 we will be hosting a 1-yr Anniversary Open House from 12:00-7:00 p.m.  Please come by and help us celebrate.  Check our web site at www.kodistilling.com for up-to-date information about the Open House. 

DrinKO Responsibly!