Next, the wash is distilled. We’ve named our two stills George and Mary, paying homage to the mother and father of the Bowman brothers. Mary is our oldest still, while George is our newest 500-gallon hybrid pot. Once in the stills, the wash is heated and the vapor is condensed and collected as a liquid. This is known as “white dog.” Fun fact: Our bourbons are typically triple distilled.
Andrea has been working in the hospital industry ever since she can remember. Before joining us at the Distillery, Andrea spent time working as a private chef and in many Virginia winery tasting rooms. Transitioning from grapes to grains, Andrea knows exactly how to lead a great tour and loves meeting new folks from Fredericksburg and beyond.
Elizabeth entered this industry with high spirits first as a laboratory technician, later promoted to Craft and Processing Supervisor for Buffalo Trace Distillery. Now as our Operations Supervisor she provides oversight of distillery operations.
Though he’s the newly named Distiller for A. Smith Bowman, David is no stranger to the industry. Coming to us from New Orleans, David was one of the three founding members of NOLA Distilling and was the Distillery Operations Manager at Sazerac House. In his new role, David will oversee all Distillery operations including keeping a close eye on our award-winning spirits.
Eric works diligently bottling and quality checking our spirits. When not on the bottling line, you will see Eric helping out around the distillery.
Kristen previously spent her days teaching the history of Mount Vernon to children at the historic home of George and Martha Washington. When she’s not showing folks around the Distillery, she’s studying early childhood education as her love for learning grows.
Tom views making “adult beverages” as making good times and great memories. When he’s not immersed in all things oak-aged like bourbon, wine, or beer, you can find him at home playing his bass guitar or taking care of his snakes.
Austin lives by the philosophy that “it’s always a good day when you’re learning something new.” He brings that same spirit of wanting to learn when bottling and quality checking our spirits. Wherever help is needed around the Distillery, you can find him there.
When she’s not spending time with family or enjoying hobbies like reading, volunteering, and traveling with friends, Chantay handles administrative work for our Distillery. She’s dedicated to growing in her role and learning the ins and outs of the business.
Our spirits are proudly bottled by Virginians, all in-house. Our bottling line can comfortably accommodate six people, but we typically operate it with merely half of that. It’s crazy to imagine that a passionate distillery team of just six folks can successfully supply bourbon across the U.S., isn’t it?
In his spare time, Art enjoys camping, hiking, and high-altitude mountain climbing. He’s also a graduate of UMW’s Historic Preservation-Archaeology program and an Eagle Scout in the BSA. There is never a dull moment with Art, and if he’s taken you on a tour, you know first hand!
The third step in our distilling process is maturation. Depending on the product, it can mature for many years. Lucky us, we get to take the first sips and decide when each barrel is ready to be bottled! From the very beginning days up until now, our attention to detail shows up in every tasty sip as we stay true to our traditional founding fathers and make our product the right way.
The first step in the distilling process is fermentation. For this process, we grind NON-GMO corn and cook it to draw out the natural sugar. Then we add our proprietary yeast strains, which convert the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide within a few days time. At this stage, the liquid is called “wash.”
Over her 30+ years with A. Smith Bowman Distillery, Debbie has taken on various roles including Bottling Line Worker, Krones Labeler Operator, and Bottling Line Foreman. Today, she puts her experience to work managing production compliance, shipping and receiving, and gift shop operations.
As a 30+ year distillery veteran, Jimmy has a wealth of knowledge that he loves to share. Always with a smile on his face, Jimmy operates all equipment during distillation, barrel dumping and processing.
Since joining our team, Neil has quickly become a jack-of-all-trades. He operates everything from the grist mills to the stills and barrel dumping to the bottling line.
Kate is originally from New Hampshire, and she currently lives in Baltimore with her husband, Gautam, and their dog, Allagash. Outside of work, Kate enjoys hiking, skiing, and being outside.
Aside from his MBA studies at the University of Mary Washington, Jon enjoys the great outdoors — especially hiking, camping, and fishing. He also loves learning about and sharing his love for premium spirits on every tour.
Carrie is originally from Oklahoma, and she has lived in Greece, Hawaii, New York, South Korea, and Virginia. A mother of four, Carrie likes to keep moving and enjoys learning about history, which suits her well for leading tours at the Distillery.
Sara has a background in theatre and loves to talk about anything history-related — including whiskey and other spirits. She also enjoys hiking, riding horses, and spending time with her dog, Wendy.
With a passion for learning and historical tours, Chrissy is a great addition to our team. She brings a great personality and spirit to all her tours.
Justin works diligently bottling and quality checking our spirits. When not at the bottling line, you will see Justin helping out with barreling and organizing the warehouse.
Micah has a passion for public speaking and enjoys learning about the chemistry and artistry that goes into distilling. Trust us, you’ll be able to hear his passion loud and clear on your next tour.
After 20 years as a Corporate Manager with Lowe’s, David is now enjoying his retirement by giving highly enjoyable and informative tours. With a deep love of learning, he shares his passion for spirits with everyone he meets.
Mary graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a B.A. in History and enjoys working with the public, being able to interact with groups of all ages, and prides herself in her ability to provide excellent customer service by giving distillery tours.
Originally from Butte, MT, Linda is a Gonzaga and University of Mary Washington graduate. With a background in Fine Arts and Historic Preservation, Linda shares a wealth of local knowledge and experience with every guest she tours.
One of our most dynamic tour guides, Erin is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington here in Fredericksburg, VA. She brings a high level of enthusiasm and knowledge to every tour she gives
Ken is a Michigan native who spent six years in the Marine Corps and nine years in the Army. Today, he gives amazing tours, and helps run our gift shop.
When she’s not giving tours of our distillery, Michelle enjoys volksmarching, reading and rereading classics and adjusting to being an empty nester.
As our Operations Supervisor, Bill oversees the smooth operation of our distillery. Often working side-by-side with his staff, Bill can be found operating the stills, cooking mash and unloading trucks on his favorite piece of equipment, the forklift.
As our Distillery Events Associate, Michelle is responsible for supervising and facilitating all of our events. She manages the booking process, including showing potential clients the facility.
