Winning Spirits in Virginia’s Inaugural First Landing Cup

Virginia’s spirit-makers know how to distill a fine spirit. Now, with the launch of the First Landing Cup, they’re getting recognition for their craft. Hosted by the Virginia Distillers Association in partnership with the Virginia Spirits Board, the competition highlights the best of Virginia-made spirits, from bold whiskeys to elegant gins.

Named in honor of the 1607 landing of English colonists at Cape Henry, the First Landing Cup blends history with modern excellence. This year’s debut brought in 108 entries from across the Commonwealth, each judged blind by a panel of 21 nationally renowned spirits experts, ensuring that the finest expressions rose to the top.

“We set the bar high,” said Becky Harris, president of the Virginia Distillers Association and head distiller at Catoctin Creek Distilling in Purcellville. “By bringing together some of the most respected palates in the country, we showed that Virginia’s spirits don’t just hold their own – they shine. This competition puts our distilleries squarely on the national map.”

“In Virginia, every bottle has a story – of craftsmanship, creativity, and deep-rooted tradition,” said Scott Harris, chair of the Virginia Spirits Board, also of Catoctin Creek Distilling. “The First Landing Cup celebrates not just what’s in the glass, but the people and places behind it.”

First Landing Cup winners

Gold medalists

• Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co., Caiseal Peated American Single Malt Whiskey
• Catoctin Creek, Catoctin Creek Hot Honey Rye
• Highlands Distilling Co., Dragon Navy Strength Gin
• KO Distilling, KO Distiller’s Reserve Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye Whiskey
• KO Distilling, KO Distiller’s Reserve Bottled-in-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Mt. Defiance Distillery, Mt. Defiance Absinthe Supérieure
• MurLarkey Distilled Spirits, Papi’s Salsa Borracha Vodka
• MurLarkey Distilled Spirits, MurLarkey ImaGination Gin
• Old House Vineyards, Estate Brandy XO (available only on-site)
• Ragged Branch Distillery, Ragged Branch Rye Whiskey
• Three Crosses Distilling Co., Crossed Rifles Spiced Rum
• Virago Spirits, Modern Gin with Oolong Tea
• Virginia Distillery Company, Courage & Conviction Signature Malt

Best in Class

Best in Show (Overall) and Best in Class Whiskey:

Virginia Distillery Company, Courage & Conviction Signature Malt

Courage & Conviction Flagship has notes of caramel and butterscotch and evolves on the palate with hints of dark dried fruit, raspberry, cocoa, barrel spice and vanilla. The finish is creamy and smooth.

Best in Class Gin:

Highlands Distilling Company, Dragon Navy Strength Gin

Starting with a neutral spirit, the team at Highlands Distilling Company add juniper and other botanicals. 114 proof.

Best in Class Specialty Spirit:

Mt. Defiance Distillery, Mt. Defiance Absinthe Supérieure

The traditional, French-style verte absinthe was created from a late 19th-century French recipe. The absinthe is distilled using whole botanicals, naturally colored, and bottled at 140 proof. Mt. Defiance grows its own grand wormwood, roman wormwood, hyssop, and other botanicals, and imports Andalusian green aniseed and French fennel doux.

Best in Class Vodka:

MurLarkey Distilled Spirits, Papi’s Salsa Borracha Vodka

Starting with its best corn vodka, MurLarkey distills the spirit and infuses it using a proprietary technique and a blend of 15 all-natural botanicals, fresh garden vegetables, and spices, for a uniquely flavored vodka.

Best in Class Brandy:

Old House Vineyards, Estate Brandy XO

Grown, harvested, fermented, distilled, aged and bottled in Culpeper, this barrel-aged brandy offers aromas of dried fig and toasted almond. The palate is smooth and layered with notes of baked apple, honey and warm spice, finishing long with hints of cocoa and oak. It’s a complex, elegant spirit crafted for slow sipping. (Only available on-site.)

Best in Class Rum:

Three Crosses Distilling Company, Crossed Rifles Spiced Rum

A different take on spiced rum, Crossed Rifles is made from American bagasse sugar and molasses, seeped with only natural spices. 80 Proof.

For more information, go to VirginiaSpirits.org, where you can

• View the complete list of winners
• Learn about the judging criteria, including tasting notes and rating scale
• Meet the judges

More from Boomer: 21st Century Virginia Spirits

Visit First Landing Cup winners and other distilleries

Visitors can map out their visits to Virginia distilleries using the Virginia Spirits Passport, plus a limited-time passport experience featuring all the gold-medal winners – the Gold Medal Spirits Trail.

From still to shelf, the First Landing Cup proves what many of us already knew: Virginia spirits are truly something special.

FEATURE PHOTO, TOP: Best in Class winners of the First Landing Cup. Credit: Todd Wright.