The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) has added 17 new products to its catalog of more than 3,000 distilled spirits, Virginia wines and mixers.
This autumn’s class of spirits represent a variety of categories including bourbon, vodka, rye, cordial, cognac, rum and Virginia-made wine.
Many of the items have unique stories behind them:
- Horse Soldier Straight Bourbon is distilled by a group of U.S. Army Special Operations soldiers recently depicted in the movie “12 Strong.”
- Blackened American Whiskey is a blend of bourbon and rye selected by the recently passed Master Distiller Dave Pickerell, finished in black brandy casks and “sonically enhanced” with the music of Metallica using a process called Black Noise.
- Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey honors Nathan “Nearest” Green, the first African American Master Distiller on record, who has been credited with teaching his distilling techniques to Jack Daniel.
- Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey comes from a former bartender nicknamed “Skrewball” and his wife, who decided to combine peanut butter and whiskey.
Three of the new products are made in Virginia: Reservoir Hunter & Scott Rye, Gandy Dancer Vidal Blanc and Cinder Snapper Chambourcin.
“Virginia ABC strives to provide a fresh mix of products across different brands, categories and prices,” says Virginia ABC Chief Executive Officer Travis Hill. “We look at industry trends to guide us in choosing the most relevant selection of spirits for our customers. I think shoppers will be excited to see what’s new on our store shelves.”
A full listing of the new products and their descriptions can be found in Spirited Virginia magazine, available in stores and online, and in Virginia ABC’s online product catalog. www.abc.virginia.gov.
Four times a year, Virginia ABC reviews hundreds of products presented by distillers and suppliers, and scores them based on a variety of criteria, including category needs and popularity trends. Products range from new offerings of longtime brands to spirits made in Virginia.
The listings committee makes recommendations on which products to accept, and presents those to Virginia ABC’s board for approval.
Virginia ABC holds listings meetings in March, June, September and December, with accepted products arriving in stores on the first of April, July, October and January, respectively.
