A. Smith Bowman Distillery facts for kids
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A. Smith Bowman Distillery
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The now abandoned whiskey distillery, long operated by the Bowman family.
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 Location in Northern Virginia
Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1875 Old Reston Avenue, Reston, Virginia |
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| Built | 1892 |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001503 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 9, 1999 |
The A. Smith Bowman Distillery is a special place where they make whiskey. It was first located on a large farm in Fairfax County, Virginia, which later became the town of Reston. The distillery was started in 1934 by Abram Smith Bowman and his two sons, Abram Smith, Jr., and DeLong. This happened right after Prohibition ended. Prohibition was a time when making and selling alcohol was illegal in the United States.
For many years, until the 1950s, this was the only legal whiskey distillery in the state of Virginia. They were famous for making bourbons called Virginia Gentleman and Fairfax County. In 1988, the distillery moved to Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near Fredericksburg. It is now a smaller distillery owned by the Sazerac Company.
What the Distillery Makes Today
The A. Smith Bowman distillery business was bought in 2003 by the Sazerac Company. This company is a big producer of drinks and is based in New Orleans.
The distillery still makes the Virginia Gentleman bourbon. They also create other types of bourbon. Besides whiskey, they make a vodka called "Deep Run" and a gin called "Sunset Hills."
They also have special bourbon brands named after the Bowman family pioneers. These are important people from Virginia and Kentucky history.
- Bowman Brothers Small Batch bourbon: This is named after the pioneer Bowman brothers. They were sometimes called the "Four Centaurs of Cedar Creek."
- Abraham Bowman bourbon: Named after Colonel Abraham Bowman (1749–1837).
- George Bowman rum: Named after George Bowman (1699–1768).
- John J. Bowman Single Barrel bourbon: Named after Colonel John Bowman (1738–1784).
- Mary Hite Bowman Caramel Bourbon Cream Liqueur: Named after the mother of the Bowman brothers.
The Original Distillery Building
The building where the distillery first operated was built around 1892. A doctor named C.A. Max Wiehle built it. He wanted to create a town and farming area called Wiehle.
The first floor of the building was used as the Wiehle town hall. The second floor was a church. The building even had a bell and a steeple. These were later removed because people thought a distillery shouldn't look like a church.
Dr. Wiehle passed away in 1901, and his plans for the town didn't continue. The building stopped being a town hall in 1909. The church moved to a different location in 1907. For a while, the building was a home and a general store.
Abram Smith Bowman bought the building in 1927. He bought a very large piece of land called Sunset Hills. This land became one of the biggest privately owned properties in the Washington, D.C. area.
Bowman started his distillery in 1934, the day after Prohibition ended. The historic building was first used as the warehouse for the distillery. The first bourbon made there was sent out in 1937. For many years, Bowman's was the only legal whiskey distillery in Virginia.
The building was recognized as a historic place in 1999. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important part of history. Today, there are plans to build new homes near this historic building.
