Tag: family business (Page 1 of 3)

A Season of Thanks

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It’s hard to believe how different last year was from this one, how much has changed in the barn (now two barns), the lessons we learned and the friendships we have made in each and every one of you who have visited us here. We have so much to be thankful for this year and the ones to come.

One year ago we rode in the Apple Harvest Parade for the first time since the days of riding with  Biscuit.

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One year ago we took a big leap and began our expansion to a new production building and equipment. That fall we held our breath, said a little prayer, and made the plans to create bourbon we could look up to.

One year ago I said to the moonshiner, “Let’s have one big open house in December, we’ll call it a Barn Warming (because there is nothing that can warm a cold barn like bunch of friends showing up). We figured a few dozen of our friends would come. That weekend we opened our barn to hundreds of folks, more new friendships made, and gave us a blessing that we were steering on the right path with our little hobby turned business.

We are excited to invite you to continue on this crazy wonderful journey. The next year as bourbon is made and finally released to the public, we want to humbly say,

THANK YOU.

 

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Fall Open House

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We invite you to join us in celebrating the season here at the Black Draft Distillery for our Autumn Open House!

Enjoy a rare behind-the-scenes tour of our new production barn, sample our moonshine, and try our seasonal cocktail recipes. Sip and savor some truly handcrafted West Virginia Spirits, just in time for the cool weather ahead!

There will also be non-alcoholic beverages for the youngsters (since we are very family friendly) and a new mercantile room of WV products for your shopping and gift giving this season.

Date: Friday, October 14th & Saturday, October 15th
Times: 11am to 4pm
Location: 1140 Kelly Island Road, Martinsburg, WV 25405
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/CgV86y731k42

For more details: call 540-686-0100 or email info@blackdraftdistillery.com

The First Two Years

Those First 11 cases, sold out and in backorder within 48 hours. Whew!

Those First 11 cases, sold out and in backorder within 48 hours. Whew!

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The early days of making whiskey cuts in a pint jelly jar.

Glen and I have something about twos. Our birthdays, both in December, are on days ending in twos. Our punkin’ was born the second month of 2010. And for two years this past weekend, we began making our first batches of moonshine. Back then it was with a 10-gallon still made from a lobster pot, that sat near the barn door of our previous horse barn, and we spent those weekends in June, making our first 11 cases of 100 proof corn whiskey to ship to WVABCA in Nitro, WV, in the hopes of selling to the stores in the Eastern Panhandle and throughout the state. It takes two weeks to make moonshine, grain to jar as we say, with two main ingredients, local corn and local water.

Photo Credit: Rick Dugan


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Glen discussing corn harvesting with Lyle Tabb, our corn supplier with the next generation Tabb

It was about family and friends, coming together, and bringing back a part of our culture and heritage through a shared experience around a jar, something sorely missing in today’s busy society. A dear friend and mentor told us to capture as much of these moments in photo, because we’ll blink and it will change fast. I can’t believe how much has changed, and yet we are still here on the weekends, bringing family and friends, old and new, together over stories and tasting the promise of our yearling bourbon whiskey.

Two years later and we have grown to a second building for production and opened our doors for folks to come a visit our whiskey making distillery life as it unfolds.

Before the storm January 2016

Installing the new destillers, 150-gallon each!

The Horse Barn, now a tasting room and for barrel aging bourbon

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Ribbon cutting ceremony, June 3, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Click on link here to view a feature on our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on local WHAG-TV.

Join Us for a Barn Warming at Black Draft

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We invite you to join us in celebrating the holidays here at the Black Draft Farm for our first Barn Warming!

Enjoy a behind the scenes tour of the distillery and sample refreshments of our First Harvest Moonshine in seasonal cocktails to bring on the ‘shine for the holidays.

There will also be non-alcoholic beverage for youngsters since we are family friendly and our punkin’ loves to be the hostess princess extraordinaire.

Ready-made baskets available to purchase or custom order along with tees and other merchandise for gift giving.

Date: Friday, December 11 & Saturday, December 12
Times: 11am to 5pm
Location: 1140 Kelly Island Road, Martinsburg, WV 25405

For more details: 540-686-0100 or email info@blackdraftdistillery.com

 

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