118: Virginia Craft Bourbon at A. Smith Bowman Distillery

Our guest this week is Brian Prewitt, Master Distiller for A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Virginia.  We discuss the history of the distillery, Brian's background in the beer, wine and spirits industries, and the variety of bourbons that the distillery releases.  We also taste through John J. Bowman Single Barrel Bourbon and Bowman Brother Small Batch Bourbon.

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About Master Distiller Brian Prewitt:

Brian's interest in the beverage industry was peaked when he landed a job at a brewery while attending Colorado State University obtaining his bachelor's degree in food science.  

Upon graduation, Prewitt further honed his interest for brewing and distilling by completing the Master Brewers Program at University of California, Davis.  From there, he joined The Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver, Colo., eventually becoming its brewer.

When Prewitt saw an opportunity to try his hand at distilling spirits instead of beer, he jumped at the chance to join E&J Distilleries in Modesto, Calif. and was eventually named Senior Distiller.  It was at E&J that Prewitt was able to train under two Master Distillers with a combined experience of more than 70 years in the art of distillation, learning about raw material selection, fermentation, distillation, and maturation.

Brian was named Master Distiller at the A. Smith Bowman Distillery in 2013, and he is excited to carry on the Bowman family tradition of award-winning products while introducing some new offerings as well.

A native of Colorado, Brian now lives in Fredericksburg, Va. with his wife and three children.

About A. Smith Bowman

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. As Virginia's oldest and most award-winning distillery, its various brands have earned numerous prestigious awards over the years, including John J. Bowman Single Barrel, which received a gold medal at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. For more information on A. Smith Bowman, please visit www.asmithbowman.com.

Links:

• A. Smith Bowman Distillery Website 
• A. Smith Bowman Distillery's Brian Prewitt Appointed to the Virginia Spirits Board by Gov. Ralph Northam
• Whisky Magazine Names John J. Bowman America's Best Non-Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon
• You Need to Start Drinking A. Smith Bowman's Whiskey
• Whisky magazine awards A. Smith Bowman Bourbons bronze medals at 2021 American World Whiskies Awards
• What Is "Small Batch" Whiskey And Why Are We Arguing About It?