A. Smith Bowman Distillery

Large bell on the exterior wall blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)

Abram Smith Bowman, Sr. arrived in Virginia from his home state of Kentucky in 1927, making his mark by purchasing the 7200-acre Sunset Hills Farm in Fairfax County, including the Wiehle Mansion, which became his family’s residence, and Aesculapian Hotel, in which Bowman entertained visitors and guests.

The wealthy entrepreneur made waves within two years of his arrival by hosting the first fox hunt in the county, The Fairfax Hunt, which was held on his property. He spent his first seven years in Virginia farming the land before opening the A. Smith Bowman distillery in 1934 on the heels of the end of prohibition with his sons Abram Smith, Jr. and E. DeLong.

The first three brands included Virginia Gentlemen, Sunset Hills Bourbon and Fairfax County Bourbon. The distillery was the lone producer of legal whiskey in Virginia until 1950 and enjoyed great success.

Abram Sr. passed away in 1952, leaving the mansion and land to his eldest son, who continued to operate the hotel until it was torn down in 1956. In 1960, Abram Jr. and his brother DeLong sold the vast majority of Sunset Hills to a land development company, who in turn sold it to developer Robert E. Simon, who set about architecting the planned community of Reston.

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Know Before You Go

In February 1988, the business moved into an old cellophane plant in Spotsylvania County near Fredericksburg at One Bowman Drive. The company still operates there as a microdistillery.