December 14, 2023
In Southwest Virginia, a distillery visit can lead you into a former waterworks building, a downtown tasting room or a family business rooted in Appalachian craftsmanship. Along the way, you’ll find mountain scenery, music and small towns worth getting to know.
The region’s spirits tell different stories. Some makers draw on generations of moonshine traditions. Others began with a whiskey club, a brewing hobby or years of working with wine. Visiting gives you a chance to discover those connections and ask what goes into the bottle.
Before you go, download the Virginia Spirits app to find nearby distilleries and build your own trail. With the Virginia Spirits Passport built into the app, you can check in at participating locations, earn points and redeem rewards as you explore.
Southwest Virginia covers plenty of ground. Choose a few stops near one another, give yourself time between visits and save another part of the region for your next getaway.
J.H. Bards began with friends Jayson Hudson and Jason Hardy and their Bourbon and Rye Drinking Society. Conversations about whiskey grew into a plan to make their own, turning a shared interest into a distillery.
Today, the tasting room is in downtown Blacksburg near Virginia Tech. Its lineup includes bourbon, rye, maple whiskey, single malt whiskey and Sinking Creek Vodka. Stop in to explore the selections or enjoy a cocktail with friends.
Make it part of your trip: Pair your visit with a meal and time exploring downtown Blacksburg.
At 5 Mile Mountain Distillery, the setting is part of the story. The building once housed Floyd’s waterworks, treating water from Dodds Creek and supplying the town before closing in 1976.
Its restoration gave the structure a new purpose while preserving a piece of local history. Inside, the distillery draws on Floyd’s moonshine traditions, using traditional recipes, copper stills and small-batch production.
Visit the tasting room and ask about the methods behind the spirits or the work that went into bringing the building back to life.
Make it part of your trip: Spend an afternoon in Floyd, then check the Floyd Country Store’s music calendar for its Friday Night Jamboree.
Salty Stash’s path into distilling began with farming and more than a decade of wine production. Experience fermenting fruit became the foundation for a move into spirits in 2020, with brandy a natural connection between the two crafts.
Its current visitor information points to the farm in Allisonia. Contact the team before your visit to confirm the location, current offerings and availability of a distillation experience.
For visitors curious about fruit-based spirits, this is an opportunity to ask how the ingredients and fermentation process influence what ends up in the glass.
Make it part of your trip: Consider Salty Stash for a weekend outing in the New River Valley.
Creek Bottom began as a brewery in 2013 and expanded into distilling in 2022. That progression gives visitors another perspective on how an interest in one craft beverage can lead to another.
Its Galax pub offers a place to build a meal into your outing, with events and live music providing additional reasons to visit. Check the current spirits offerings and entertainment calendar when planning your stop.
Make it part of your trip: Make Creek Bottom a meal stop during a Galax getaway, allowing time to enjoy the pub.
At Highlands Distilling Company in Marion, the names on the bottles offer a starting point for conversation.
This veteran-owned distillery’s bourbon, whiskey, moonshine and gin recognize military service, first responders and regional heritage. CAVU Straight Bourbon Whisky nods to naval aviation, while Trooper’s Virginia Single Malt Whisky honors first responders.
Explore the lineup in the tasting room and ask about the people and stories behind it. Group tours are also listed among the distillery’s offerings; contact the team to arrange a visit.
Make it part of your trip: Build a stop into your time exploring Marion and the surrounding area.
Appalachian Heritage traces its story to Grandpa Bud Justus and a family moonshining legacy dating to 1919. Its downtown Damascus location brings that history into a modern tasting room.
Explore the current spirits and cocktail offerings, then ask how the family’s heritage informs what the team makes today. With a brewery now part of the business, there’s another chapter to discover, too.
Make it part of your trip: Plan an outdoor morning and lunch in Damascus before settling into the tasting room.
At Axe Handle Distilling in Pennington Gap, the family’s experience building hand-hewn log homes carries into another craft.
The distillery shares its story with Old Virginia Hand Hewn Log Homes, the family’s longstanding construction business. Its custom-built facility houses production, a tasting room and retail space, with a wraparound porch where visitors can spend some time.
Ask how the team moved from log-home construction into distilling and what craftsmanship means in each business.
Make it part of your trip: Give Axe Handle its own place in a western Southwest Virginia getaway, with time to enjoy the setting.
For a two-day getaway, focus on Blacksburg, Floyd and the New River Valley. Save the region’s farther-west stops for another trip so you have time to enjoy each place.
Start with a walk around downtown Blacksburg, leaving time to browse local shops and enjoy lunch before visiting J.H. Bards Spirit Co..
Explore the spirits lineup through a tasting or settle in with a cocktail. Ask about the whiskey club that inspired the business and how the team approaches making its bourbon, rye and single malt whiskey.
Keep the evening open for dinner downtown, then return to your accommodations. Blacksburg makes a convenient home base for this part of your Southwest Virginia getaway.
Head to Floyd for a day of small-town exploring and local spirits. Start with a look around town and lunch before visiting 5 Mile Mountain Distillery.
At the tasting room, discover the distillery’s connection to Floyd’s moonshine traditions and the former waterworks building it calls home. Ask about its traditional copper stills and small-batch approach.
If your second day falls on a Friday, plan to stay for the Friday Night Jamboree at the Floyd Country Store. Otherwise, browse the store’s music calendar for performances during your visit.
Extend your New River Valley stay with an arranged visit to Salty Stash Distillery in Allisonia. For another Southwest Virginia getaway, build a trip around Creek Bottom in Galax, Highlands in Marion or Appalachian Heritage in Damascus. Give Axe Handle in Pennington Gap its own place in a farther-west itinerary.
Find more places to stay, eat and explore through Visit Southwest Virginia.
Stay near the places you most want to explore. Blacksburg or Floyd can anchor a New River Valley trip, while Galax, Marion and Damascus offer starting points for their surrounding areas.
For a Bristol stay with a connection to local history, consider The Sessions Hotel. Its buildings once housed a grocery business, candy factory and granary mill, preserving elements of the city’s industrial past.
Browse Visit Southwest Virginia for lodging, dining and activities that fit your route.
Check each distillery’s current hours, tasting options and reservation requirements before setting out. Plan transportation in advance, choose a designated driver and leave plenty of time for meals and exploring.
Use the Virginia Spirits app to discover nearby distilleries and build your own trail. Whether you’re curious about a family recipe, a new style of whiskey or the story behind a bottle, start with a stop that interests you and see where it takes you.
