Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Virginia micro-distillery

There is a story in today's Food Section of the Washington Post concerning micro-distilleries in Virginia.

According to the article, there are three micro-distilleries in Virginia. One, the Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, malts its own Virginia-sourced barley, drying it over apple and cherry wood smoke. (Owner Rick Wasmund says that his is the only distillery in the US, large or small, to malt its own barley.)

After he distills the whisky, Wasmund ages it with wood chips. He has named this process chipping, and claims it shortens the traditionally longer periods of aging in wooden barrels. Thus he can release his "Single Malt Whisky" for sale after only a few years of aging at the distillery.

I haven't yet tasted the whisky.

More on bourbon/whiskey/whisky definitions.

2 comments:

  1. What are your feelings about the quality of the malt from the thoroughbred barley?

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  2. It appears to be a winter 6-row variety. Most breweries worldwide have moved to 2-row because of lower protein levels and greater embryo to husk ratio. Have any US or Canadian maltsters experimented with Thoroughbred?

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