Grain to Glass at America's First Craft Distillery: Belmont Farm Distillery

I've passed the Culpeper exit for Belmont Farm Distillery dozens upon dozens of times over the last 25 years and finally detoured off Route 29 this past weekend. I have consumed several of their spirits during this period, like their flagship Virginia Lightning -> the 100-proof corn whiskey based on a family recipe that inspired Chuck Miller to open the distillery in 1988 and become "America's First Craft Distillery." Miller was also adamant about using a 3000-gallon copper pot still (constructed in 1933) to distill the mash and a doubler where the spirit was further distilled to increase the proof.   When he registered the distillery with the state, they received License #1 and eventually the first waiver to operate as a limited ABC store (as a farm distillery).  

Over time they released a 100% corn Kopper Kettle Vodka, which is also a regular fixture behind our bar. But on this visit, I learned more about their Kopper Kettle grains whiskies as well as a more approachable Virginia Lightning Moonshine. My flight of four whiskies started with this moonshine, which is produced by distilling the Virginia Lightning once again and cutting to 90-proof. Definitely an easier sipper. However, I learned several interesting ideas regarding infusing the original Virginia Lightning (vanilla and pineapple were two options) and it will remain my moonshine preference.

The other three whiskies in the flight were grain based starting with the American Single Malt Whiskey ($34.99) made with 100% malted barley and triple distilled in the 3,000-gallon copper pot still and cut to 86-proof using farm-purified mineral water. This is a very flavorful and approachable whiskey with vanilla and honey aromas complemented by coffee and raisins, toasted honey, and a slight semblance of smoke. 

While sipping on the Virginia Bonded Whiskey ($34.99) sample, I learned that Belmont Farm operates entirely within house, which means malting the grain, fermentation and distilling, and finally bottling and labeling.  This spirit starts as a three-grain whiskey that is soaked for two months with charred Virginia white oak and Virginia apple wood, before aging for four years in American oak barrels.  The Bonded on the label guarantees that the product (1) was made at a single distillery, (2) produced within a single distilling season, (3) aged for a minimum of four years at a federally bonded warehouse, and (4) bottled at 50% ABV.  This is an interesting whiskey with the nose stronger than the body, but then elevated again at the tail.  The final whiskey was the Kopper Kettle Rye Whiskey ($46.99), which, unfortunately, I didn't take notes on. It was decent, but not overly remarkable like the previous two offerings. 

I didn't even get into moonshiner Tim Smith's Climax Moonshine label as I wanted to focus solely on Belmont Farm's portfolio and their claim to being America's First Craft Distillery. The Moonshiners series has brought more attention to the distillery and hopefully, the distillery can cope with the additional production and visitors. Looking forward to returning during one of the Bourbon, Bluegrass, and BBQ festivals this summer. Cheers. 

Spirits Review: Tim Smith's Climax Moonshine

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the Discovery Channel's Moonshiners series and have followed Tim Smith's quest to transition from outlaw to lawful distiller. Well, I finally procured a bottle of his Tim Smith's Climax Moonshine ($35, 45%). The whiskey is made at Belmont Farm Distillery, "the First Craft Distillery of American Whiskey in the United States" - located in Culpeper Virginia. The mash bill is a secret but includes corn, rye and barley malt and is distilled using Belmont's historic copper still. The whiskey is hot, so be prepared for a burn, but not a straight alcohol burn. Instead, there's a roundness of creamed corn that envelopes the mouth and throat and that richness continues downwards. Climax Moonshine isn't necessarily a harsh whiskey, it just packs a wallop. Cheers.

Another Corn Vodka, Virginia's Belmont Farm Kopper Kettle Vodka

Virginia's Belmont Farm Distillery is the country's oldest craft whiskey distillery, founded by Chuck and Jeanette Miller in the late 1980’s. Their Virginia Lightening was the first craft spirit I ever tasted and lately the distillery and Miller have become more famous as the distiller of Tim Smith's Climax Moonshine. Not mentioned in the Discovery Channel Moonshiners series is that Belmont Farm is also producing a corn vodka, the Kopper Kettle Vodka ($20) - Single Estate Grain to Glass. Like their other spirits, the corn is grown directly on the estate and then fermented and distilled on site using a copper pot manufactured in 1933. Like the Prairie Organic Vodka, this vodka is distilled to taste but then filtered through a secret filtration system. Sipping neat, the vodka has a slight, but noticeable burn and the sweet corn flavors are muted. However, by simply adding a few drops of water, the alcohol is pushed down and the vodka displays a new vibrancy with the corn flavors exerting control. For a cocktail, the distillery recommends Sex on the Farm, a recipe containing 1.5 oz Vodka, 1/2 oz Peach Schnapps (or Catoctin Creek Peach Brandy), 2 oz Cranberry Juice, and 2 oz Orange Juice. Combine, add ice, shake, and garnish with an Orange wedge and cherry. Cheers.

American Moonshine

On another raining weekend we decided to explore the bar and see what interesting items we hadn't opened. Viola, instantly several different bottles of whiskey appeared - either straight corn whiskey or labeled "moonshine". Why not a comparative tasting. Within our collection were:

1. Virginia Lightening distilled by Belmont Farm Distillery in Culpeper Virginia. This 100% corn whiskey is double distilled in a copper pot still and diluted to 100 proof.
2. Mountain Moonshine distilled by West Virginia Distilling Company from Morgantown, West Virginia. Although labeled as moonshine, this is a 80-20 blend of grain neutral spirits and corn. After careful blending, we add oak chips that have been roasted to just the right color. The whiskey is also aged slightly in oak chips.
3. Catdaddy distilled by Piedmont Distillers, Inc. in Madison, North Carolina. This whiskey is made from 100% corn and is triple distilled in copper pot stills with a few secret ingredients added.
4. Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon, also from Piedmont Distillers, Inc. is again triple distilled in copper pot stills, but containing neutral grain spirits.
5. Platte Valley Corn Whiskey distilled by McCormick Distilling and is 100% straight corn whiskey distilled in Illinois and aged for three years.

We tasted each whiskey neat, then added a little water to dampen the alcohol. Overall, there were some interesting products - but the overall favorite was clearly the Platte Valley Corn Whiskey. Maybe it was the aging three years - but this corn whiskey is extremely smooth with little burn even before adding water. It has the sweet corn aroma and flavor expected from corn whiskey and a smooth - smooth finish. The Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon was close, but this moonshine is more characteristic of a vodka. It was also extremely smooth - but didn't possess much aroma or flavor - probably a good candidate for a mixing. It's sibling, Catdaddy, was very interesting. Its spicy character resembled the botanicals in gin; it also reminded us a little of something more suited to Christmas time. Interesting - but not a corn whiskey we'd want to sip after a hard day at work. The Virginia Lightening took a little work to bring forth its true flavors. While drinking neat, the whiskey produces a major burn, which camouflages all sensations. However, by dousing with a few drops of water, the sweet corn aromas and flavor appear and it turns into a nice, drinkable whiskey. Knowing his secret makes it worth supporting a local producer. Finally, the Mountain Moonshine just wasn't so good. Even after adding water, the whiskey produced a healthy burn - surprising considering the oak chips and grain composition. We will be using this one in Bloody Marys.