Vitae Spirits sits in Charlottesville’s Belmont neighborhood, founded by husband-and-wife team Virginia Miller and Andrew Williamson in 2012. Miller, who previously worked in the wine industry, and Williamson, a former homebrewer with an engineering background, transformed a 1940s industrial building on Henry Avenue into their craft distillery. They started small with a 250-gallon copper still, focusing on gin and vodka before expanding into whiskey production as their business grew. The couple’s approach blends Miller’s understanding of fermentation from her wine days with Williamson’s technical precision. They source their grain from Virginia farms when possible and use a combination of traditional pot distillation and modern equipment to create their spirits. The distillery reflects their philosophy of making spirits they’d want to drink themselves, without the pretension that sometimes comes with craft distilling. You’ll find their tasting room has a relaxed, neighborhood feel rather than polished tourist destination vibes. The space showcases their small-batch production setup, where you can see the stills and barrels during visits. They’ve built a local following for their gin and are starting to release whiskeys that have been aging since their early years, making this an interesting time to visit as they transition from startup to established local distillery.