Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA – Distilleries are bubbling up in Virginia [Corrected 07/10/08]
0 Comments | The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA, Jun 28, 2008 | by LORRAINE EATON
By Lorraine Eaton
The Virginian-Pilot
On Wednesday evening, in a small, immaculate Virginia Beach warehouse, Chris Richeson stood in front of an erector-set-looking thing attached to an enormous, stainless steel vat.
As the vat’s motor emitted a rhythmic drone, Richeson fixed his eyes on a glass beaker filled with clear liquid he had siphoned. Two glass instruments submerged in the liquid would tell him whether the vat’s contents are legal in Virginia.
Richeson makes vodka.
He’s the owner of Chesapeake Bay Distillery , a small enterprise in the Lynnhaven area, where he crafts and hand bottles a corn- based vodka called Spirits of the Blue Ridge. The vodka has been sold at state liquor stores since September .
His distillery is one of a growing number of small “craft” liquor- making operations bubbling up in Virginia.
Across the state, five small distilleries drip out vodka, bourbon, whiskey and a brand of liquor derived from a family moonshine recipe called Virginia Lightning. Four of them started stoking the stills in the past three years.
Another distillery is under construction south of Charlottesville, and more applications are pending with the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
It’s all in the spirit of a nationwide trend.
“Everything is going through a renaissance – beer, bread,” sai d Bill Owens , president of the California-based American Distilling Institute , an organization for small distillers. “Everything is going back to being handcrafted.”
Ten years ago, his organization represented 40 small distilleries. Today, his roster holds 144 .
Part of the reason for the growth, Owens said, is new technology that makes it easier and more economical to operate a small distillery.
Richeson also cites a 1980 change in federal regulations: A federal agent no longer must be on-site to oversee operations each day
distillery instruments
Jul 29, 2010
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