Virginia Distillery Company sits on a 113-acre estate in Lovingston, Virginia, about 20 miles south of Charlottesville in Nelson County. George Moore and Gareth Moore founded the distillery in 2015, bringing together Virginia ingredients with Scotch whisky expertise. George spent years working in Scotland’s whisky industry, while Gareth handled the business side of launching what would become Virginia’s first whisky distillery focused on single malt production. They built their copper pot stills from Scotland and designed the facility to mirror Scottish distilling traditions while incorporating local Virginia elements. The Moore brothers’ vision centered on creating American single malt whisky using Scottish methods but Virginia ingredients – local barley, Blue Ridge Mountain water, and aging in Virginia’s climate. They partnered with Silverback Distillery initially and brought in master distiller Lovingston locals to help execute their plan. The 7,200-square-foot distillery building was designed with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, creating a space that feels more like a modern Scottish distillery than a typical American bourbon operation. Their approach combines traditional Scottish copper pot distillation with Virginia’s hot summers and cold winters for unique aging. Visitors get a full whisky education here, not just a quick tasting. You’ll see their Scottish-imported copper stills, learn about their malting process, and understand how Virginia’s climate affects aging differently than Scotland’s. The tasting room overlooks the production floor, so you’re watching whisky being made while you sample it. They focus heavily on education – explaining the differences between American single malt and Scotch, how terroir affects whisky, and why they chose this particular location in Virginia’s mountains.