Virginia Gentleman

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Virginia Gentleman is a brand of bourbon whiskey. Unlike most other bourbons, it is not distilled in Kentucky, but rather in the adjoining state of Virginia. Some insist that it is not a true bourbon because it is not made in Kentucky, but there is no legal requirement that bourbon be produced there and whiskey was actually first distilled in Virginia in the 17th century (Kentucky was part of Virginia until 1792). Virginia Gentleman's former label was a source of controversy as it apparently depicted two wealthy plantation owners being served by a slave. The label was redesigned somewhat to change this implication; also, the former motto, "The Aristocrat of Them All," was discontinued at the same time, at least from appearing on the label. This beverage has had something of a "cult" following typical of some smaller-brand alcoholic beverages.

In addition to the 80-proof (40 percent alcohol) presentation, the distillery also offers a 90-proof small-batch whiskey, both are triple-distilled. Virginia Gentleman won Double Gold and Best American Whiskey at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.[1]

Virginia Gentleman's producer, A. Smith Bowman Distillery, was founded in 1935 by Abram Smith Bowman and his sons, Smith and DeLong. It was originally based on the Bowman family's Sunset Hills Farm in Fairfax County, Virginia, in what later became the planned community of Reston. In 1988, it relocated to Spotsylvania County, near Fredericksburg, into the former FMC Corp. cellophane plant. The distillery previously was an independent family operation, but it has been owned since 2003 by the Buffalo Trace Distillery of Frankfort, Kentucky, which provides the unfinished distillate that becomes Virginia Gentleman. (Buffalo Trace is itself a unit of Sazerac Co., an international beverage operation based in New Orleans). The company has since expanded its production into hot sauces and barbecue sauces under the Virginia Gentleman label.

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