With the recent release of albums by Florence and the Machine, A$AP Rocky, and Donnie Trumpet, I didn’t need much of an excuse to hop in my car, open the sunroof, and escape the concrete jungle. An avid aficionado of the peaty elixir birthed from the Islay, I love a glass of Lavagulin neat or a Manhattan with LaPhroaig. Instead of crossing the pond in search of a fix, I headed to Copper Fox Distillery on the foothills of the Shenandoah Valley where they have modified the traditional algorithm to produce some of the highest quality whisky outside of Scotland.
After hand-malting locally sourced barley, Master Distiller Rick Wasmund’s super smooth grain alcohol undergoes a process that imparts hints of apple and cherry wood smoke. This legal moonshine, which tastes great by itself, is then aged over 16-18 months in used bourbon barrels that have apple and oak chips added to them. And what’s remaining is pure heaven! Copper Fox has received various awards from the Beverage Tasting Institute and the American Craft Spirits Association. Old world tradition infused with new age innovation has enabled Wasmund to produce a product in a year and half that is of the same or superior quality to whisky that has matured 5 to 7 times longer. Presently, their offerings include a single malt whisky, rye whisky, and gin. Some Washingtonian’s may already know but Copper Fox Distillery’s gin is the house gin at the beloved Founding Farmers.
Following a tasting, my favorite Copper Fox spirit was the rye whiskey, which received a rating of 94 from the Beverage Tasting Institute. It is very complex myriad of flavors. The initial impression was a warm buttery caramel against the spice of the rye and malt mixture. The symphony of flavors builds to a crescendo of pepper blended with apple and cherry smoke. It’s so divine that I left the distillery with a few bottles and also decided to age my own in some of their mini barrels. Future projects will include barrel-aged cocktails as well. Copper Fox Distillery will be opening another location in Williamsburg to keep up with the demand. In the meantime, drink up!
