Back in July, after enjoying a delicious bbq lunch in Culpepper with my favorite guy, the Harley took us on a breathtakingly-beautiful ride through Sperryville.
This ride produced some of the best scenery I have ever witnessed and I can't imagine it being any better than experiencing it for the first time on the back of a bike.
Mountains in the distance, blue skies, rolling hills, farms, barns and more barns.
Mountains in the distance, blue skies, rolling hills, farms, barns and more barns.
Nature at its finest.
As some would say, God's country.
As some would say, God's country.
I instantly started singing one of my favorite Zac Brown Band songs as this lucky girl threw her arms out to each side, looked up to the sky, let out a sigh and smiled:
"Drive until the city lights dissolve into a country sky
me and you
me and you
Lay underneath the Harvest moon; do all the things that lovers do
just me and you.
just me and you.
Just as free
Free as we'll ever be."
This is what inner peace is all about and I hadn't felt it in such a long time.
Welcome back, old friend. I've missed you!
Free as we'll ever be."
This is what inner peace is all about and I hadn't felt it in such a long time.
Welcome back, old friend. I've missed you!
Our purpose, other than just riding (which we'll take any excuse to do), was to visit
Copper Fox Distillery.
The only other distillery we had been to in our area was Catoctin Creek in Loudoun County and we had read up on Copper Fox and definitely wanted to check it off our list.
One day I'll make it to Kentucky. I may not make it back home though.
Until I get to Kentucky though, I have found my new favorite distillery a little over an hour away.
From the moment we pulled up into the gravel parking lot and saw this view across the street, I knew I was going to be happy. Quiet, serene, beautiful and not a single other person around.
I could get used to this place.
As we walked down the gravel driveway, we saw a rustic antique shop ahead of us. As much as we wanted to check it out, we passed because we wouldn't have room to put any of our purchases since we had the bike. We'll just have to come back some other time. Great excuse!
I loved this building and am not sure what it's used for but think it's part of the distillery. The stone, the rustic charm and broken pieces. It reminded me of my heart - battered and broken but still hasn't lost its beauty or hope.
Then we saw it - the actual distillery building!
Nothing extravagant and that's the best part of breweries and distilleries. As much as I love wineries and how most tasting rooms are part of the allure, there's something about keeping it simple. Distilleries don't focus on their building's beauty. They put all of their time, money and focus on the right stuff - the product that is being made inside!
As we pushed open the squeaky wooden doors to the distillery, a waft of bourbon came upon us to make our smiles even larger. A nice lady told us the tour had just started and we still had time to join them so off we scurried!
In 2000, the owner of Copper Fox went to Scotland, home of over 130 distilleries and some would argue the best whisky in the world. As a result of that trip, he brought home a great appreciation of skill, conviction and an offer to serve as an intern at one of the few distilleries in the world that still malts its own barley. Years prior he had visited numerous American distilleries and always hoped he'd open his own.
In 2003, Copper Fox Whisky was launched into the marketplace as the first applewood-aged whisky in the world and the distillery opened in 2005.
Copper Fox's whisky is hand-crafted. It starts from scratch with hand-malted barley and then the grain is flavored with apple and cherry wood smoke. The spirits are then aged with a series of new and used applewood and oak chips inside used bourbon barrels.
We all remember back in the day when scantily clad women would jump out of birthday cakes as a man's birthday surprise. Well, in the same vein but a little different, I tend to enjoy my sexy man jumping out of a whiskey fermenter. Now THAT is my kind of present!
You know the red wax that Makers Mark is known for around the tops of their bottles?
Yeah, well, the Waxomatic machine is similar.
At the end of the tour, we could only smell each of the products. What a tease!
Fear not, however. We weren't leaving this place without equally making our tastebuds happy.
We were allowed to pick three of the spirits they make at Copper Fox to taste. While all three we chose were interesting and delicious in their own right, I definitely had a favorite.
About six or so years ago, I was at a bar in Old Town Manassas and I wanted to try something other than rum as far as liquor went. Rum was always my liquor of choice; Bacardi and Coke to be exact. I didn't want beer. I didn't want wine. I wanted some sort of whiskey or related spirit but had no idea which way to turn. I was encouraged to try a Sazerac cocktail which is a traditional rye whisky-based cocktail. Well, lo and behold, I enjoyed it. That started my interest in whiskey. The Sazerac was made with Old Overholt Rye and I was intrigued. It was easy to drink and it was different.
Just what I needed.
What I didn't know at the time was it was about to open up a whole new world for me.
I am definitely a "rye whisky" kind of girl now. I appreciate all kinds of bourbon and whisky but if there is a rye available, I'll always gravitate toward that one first. In fact, when I arrived at Copper Fox and saw they had a rye I got rather excited. In case you're wondering, yes, a bottle did come home with me that day!
It is savory. It is complex.
It is extremely enjoyable to sip on and the oaky, apple, smoky flavors are tantalizing!
Rye whisky is living proof of the old truism,
"Everything old is new again."
"Everything old is new again."
Get ready for a quick history lesson......
Rye was the "big thing" before Prohibition and bourbon took over after Prohibition. The love for alcohol may have been too much for Prohibition to conquer and the underground liquor movement did unfortunately start the demise of the American addiction to rye. While it saw its popularity soar, rye went from being the most popular drink in town to the cheap stuff that "old people and drunkards were depicted as swigging". (No comments needed here please. Thank you.)
The exciting thing is that now it seems that trends are going the other way and more and more spirit drinkers are enjoying new drinks that take a different twist on an old favorite. It's only natural that people are becoming curious again about rye. For the record, this trend only started a few years ago so I'd like to say I was ahead of the curve. That's me. I can't help myself. You're welcome.
In order to be a rye whiskey, it has to come from a mashbill that contains at least 51% rye, with corn and malted barley completing the mix. For it to be a “straight rye,” it can’t be produced at more than 160 proof and has to be aged for at least two years in new, charred oak barrels. Bourbon has similar rules, but is corn-based, and must come from a mashbill containing at least 51% corn but no more than 79% corn. After understanding that rye, having an emphasis in spiciness and a decrease in the sweetness of corn, it makes perfect sense why I lean toward rye whisky. It has always been the spiciness of that spirit that I enjoy most!
Traditionally, rye was a product of the East Coast; mostly in Pennsylvania and Maryland. (I do love my East Coast!) Since Prohibition, much of the production has shifted to Kentucky. Recently, most distilleries have started producing a rye along with their normal production. I always get excited when I am at a tasting and see names I recognize (Woodford, Jameson, Knob Creek, Four Roses, Angel's Envy, etc.) and they also have a rye in their repertoire. If there is a bourbon or whisky that I like, and that distiller also produce a rye, I'm definitely more apt to try it.
However, it still isn't likely that you'll find a rye behind your local bar. If you do, you're pretty damn fortunate and you should try it though.
However, it still isn't likely that you'll find a rye behind your local bar. If you do, you're pretty damn fortunate and you should try it though.
Rye is a little more assertive than bourbon.
It is also less sweet.
Rye is spicier and becomes more subtle and endearing as it ages.
However, it never quite loses that initial kick of intensity!
Wait just a minute....
This sounds familiar.
After all, I did just turn 42 yesterday.
I definitely am more assertive and subtle, less sweet as I age and yet I'm still packing that intensity!
The scenery, the way my blood pressure instantly dropped, the rye.
It's been a long time since I've felt such a sense of peace without the ocean in close proximity.
I think this Rye Girl found her place in Sperryville.
"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."
Frank Sinatra
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