Made in Virginia 2017 Awards – Drink (Category Winner)
Ragged Branch
Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Wheated), Charlottesville
Making bourbon came naturally to Alex Toomy, founder and co-owner of Ragged Branch Distillery in Charlottesville, and his partners. “We’re farmers, builders and carpenters by trade. We know how to do things,” says Toomy, who has been distilling whiskey since 2014. But it was just this fall that he and Chris Sarpy and Russell Nance were ready to begin selling their Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey—and what a bourbon it is. The initial scent offers complexities ranging from a bouquet garni to the soft hints of honey, which also comes through with each sip. Wheat as the secondary grain provides a bit of a subtle, yet noticeable contrast to the traditional rye component of standard bourbons. It adds a creaminess to the mouth feel and a sort of prickly sweet flavor that is slightly lighter than the sweetness typically derived from the mostly corn recipe.
The secret, Toomy says, is the crop that grows around his distillery. “It’s unique because it adds a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg-y flavor. The Virginia soil has been good to us, everything grown to make our bourbon is grown here.”
Although they are fairly new to the bourbon trade, Toomy and his partners make 270 bottles every day, and they are planning to move 8,000 bottles every month by next summer, when their first batch will have aged for four years. “We are small, but we are turning out a lot of bourbon,” he says. $48.99 per bottle. RaggedBranch.com
