More World Recognition For Distillery In Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, VA—An area distillery recently was awarded medals for five of its releases at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. A. Smith Bowman Distillery, at 1 Bowman Drive, took home two gold medals and three bronze. To wit:

Gold

• John J. Bowman Single Barrel Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Port Finished Bourbon Whiskey

Bronze

• Bowman Brothers Small Batch Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Vanilla Bean Virginia Whiskey
• · Isaac Bowman Port Finished Bourbon Whiskey

According to the San Francisco World Spirits Competition's website, gold medals are awarded for "Exceptional spirits that are near the pinnacle of achievement; these products set the standard for their categories." Bronze medals go to "Well-crafted spirits that are commercially sound, modestly attractive, and free from significant flaws; these winners are excellent examples of their categories." The top two medals are platinum and double gold.

Nearly 3,000 competing spirits were in the competition, in which 44 "of the industry's finest spirits experts reviewed each entry in a blind taste test." The winners will be featured in the August issue of The Tasting Panel magazine.

Earlier this month, A. Smith Bowman Distillery won a Gold Medal at the 2019 World Whiskies Awards. A. Smith Bowman Distillery moved to its present location in 1988 after a long run at Sunset Hills Farm in Fairfax County.