A. Smith Bowman Distillery announced the latest release in its Abraham Bowman line of expressions, the Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Gingerbread Cocoa Finished Bourbon.
Marrying two Virginia gems, this limited edition bourbon was aged in a special batch of barrels used by A. Smith Bowman Distillery and Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Virginia. The barrels originated at A. Smith Bowman in 2010, where they aged bourbon for four and a half years. The barrels were emptied and sent to Hardywood Park Brewery to be filled with two special beers: six barrels aged Gingerbread Stout and four barrels aged Foolery Imperial Milk Stout.
Both of the beers aged inside these barrels for eight months before being emptied again and sent back to A. Smith Bowman in December 2015. They were then finally filled for the last time with bourbon that had aged for nine years inside of new charred white oak barrels. This bourbon was distilled in December of 2006 and was allowed to finish for 17 months inside these special barrels. Master Distiller Brian Prewitt determined through periodic tasting evaluations that the rich caramel and oak flavors of the bourbon had intermingled with the spice notes of gingerbread and hints of cocoa in an extraordinary way.
“This bourbon tastes of ginger, vanilla, and cinnamon topped off with notes of cocoa. The gingerbread spice aroma gives way to caramel and toasty oak and finishes with a smooth and pleasant finish,” states Prewitt.
The Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Gingerbread Cocoa Finished Bourbon is part of a series of limited edition whiskies, named after Abraham Bowman, the commander of the 8th Virginia Regiment in the American Revolutionary War. Each edition of the Abraham line is a different expression and a new release is offered a few times a year. This is the 15th release in the Abraham line. The Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Gingerbread Cocoa Finished Bourbon will be available for Virginia residents to purchase through the VA ABC Lottery on Thursday, and in the A. Smith Bowman Distillery Visitor Center starting Oct. 1st. It will also be available in limited amounts in other states starting in mid-October. Quantities are very limited and most product will be available in Virginia. The Abraham Bowman series aims to release new and different expressions of innovative whiskey for each release, so it is unlikely this exact bourbon will be repeated. The age of this bourbon is 9 years and 8 months and it is 90 proof. It is available in a 375 ml only and suggested retail pricing is $39.99.
A. Smith Bowman's distilling roots date back to the years before Prohibition when the Bowman family had a granary and dairy farm in Sunset Hills, Virginia. They used excess grain from the family estate to distill spirits. In 1934, after the Repeal of Prohibition, Abram Smith Bowman and his sons continued the family tradition and built a more modern distillery in Fairfax County, Virginia called Sunset Hills Farm. The Distillery was moved in 1988 and is now nestled in Spotsylvania County near the city of Fredericksburg, 60 miles away from the original location.
As a small and privately owned company, A. Smith Bowman Distillery continues the time-honored traditions on which it was founded. Considered a micro-distillery by today's standards, A. Smith Bowman produces an assortment of hand-crafted spirits distilled from only the finest natural ingredients and using the latest technology. This micro-distillery focuses on the production of premium spirits honoring the legacy of Virginia's first settlers. Its various brands have won more than 100 awards in the past five years, including “World’s Best Bourbon” in 2016 for its Abraham Bowman Port Finished Bourbon at the World Whisky Awards. For more information on A. Smith Bowman, please visit www.asmithbowman.com.
