With the changing of the seasons comes new products to the shelves of Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) stores across the commonwealth.
This month, Virginia ABC will introduce 33 spirits to its catalog for customers to try. The selection includes bourbon, rye, rum, gin, scotch, tequila, vodka and cordials.
Six of the products are Virginia-made, including:
• Axe Handle American Gin
• Axe Handle Straight Rye Bourbon Whiskey
• KO Distiller’s Reserve Bottled-in-Bond Rye Whiskey
• Bare Knuckle High Rye Bourbon Single Barrel
• Bare Knuckle High Rye Bourbon Cask Strength
• Dogged State Dorado Vodka
For the first time, ABC’s Spirited Virginia magazine will also feature a Virginia-made spirit on its cover.
John J. Bowman Bourbon from the A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg was chosen by a majority of participants in an open-ended survey to determine what Virginia-made spirit should be included with other memorabilia in Virginia ABC’s time capsule. The capsule was placed at the new ABC headquarters in Hanover County during the summer. To highlight the momentous occasion, the bottle is pictured on the cover and with an article about cooking with spirits in the latest issue of the magazine. Spirited Virginia magazine is available free of charge online and in ABC’s 395 stores.
“Virginians are lucky to have a robust local spirits industry with award-winning products to enjoy,” says Travis Hill, Virginia ABC’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’ve also sourced some global spirits this quarter including Italian cordials, Caribbean rums and Japanese whisky, to name a few.”
New products will begin to arrive in-store and online in early October. A list of all new products and where to buy them can be found at abc.virginia.gov.
Per Virginia law, ABC’s profits from in-store and online retail sales are remitted each year to the commonwealth for designated state programs and services. In fiscal year 2021, ABC contributed a total of $616.4 million ($237.3 million from retail sales) to the commonwealth.