Virginia ABC will host 683 free, in-store tastings across the commonwealth, which is an increase of 60% over the number of tastings held in September 2016.
Some 224 of September’s tastings will feature Virginia products, including bourbon, whiskey, moonshine, vodka, gin and rum, and 378 will offer samples of bourbon/American whiskey, including those made in Virginia and Jim Beam Black Label Straight Bourbon, the best-selling bourbon in Virginia.
On average, stores across the commonwealth hold 500 tastings each month. September’s 683 events is a 36% increase of the monthly average. The increased number this month is in observance of National Bourbon Heritage Month and Virginia Spirits Month.
In 2007, the US Senate declared September as National Bourbon Heritage Month which bolstered the 1964 Act of Congress declaring bourbon “America’s Native Spirit.” In 2016, the Virginia Distillers Association (VDA) began its annual celebration of Virginia Spirits Month in September.