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Speyside Bourbon Cooperage in Smyth lays off 75 workers
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage in Atkins will lay off 75 employees at the end of April due to slowdowns in the bourbon industry, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter dated Feb. 28. Speyside plans to end second-shift production and third-shift maintenance at the Smyth County facility. Laid-off workers may be recalled “as […]
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage to create 40 jobs in Pittsylvania
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage will invest $16.85 million to build a new stave mill in Pittsylvania County‘s Brosville Industrial Park, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced last week. A U.S. subsidiary of a French company, Speyside Bourbon Cooperage produces staves, or strips of wood, from American White Oak, which are used to make the company’s bourbon barrels. Pittsylvania […]
Travis Hill to step down as Va. ABC’s CEO
Travis Hill, CEO of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, announced Thursday he plans to step down from his post at the ABC, where he’s worked since 2014. Hired nine years ago as the Virginia ABC’s chief operating officer, Hill became CEO in 2018 after managing the former state department’s transition to a semi-independent authority […]
Virginia ABC: Vodka is Va.’s best-selling spirit
Tito’s Handmade Vodka notched its sixth year as the commonwealth’s most popular liquor at Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority stores in fiscal 2023. According to VABC, the Austin, Texas-based craft vodka accounted for $72 million in sales in fiscal 2023, up $5.1 million over the prior year. Tito’s out-guzzled other spirits by a long shot; […]
ABC reports almost $1.5B in FY23 revenue
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority reported $1.47 billion in gross revenues for fiscal year 2023, up $54.3 million over the prior fiscal year, on Wednesday. The reported revenue is a record for the authority. This is the fifth year that ABC has brought in revenues above $1 billion. As a division of the state […]
Virginia ABC to hold Secretariat bourbon lottery
Bourbon fans should gallop to enter the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority’s online lottery later this month for 187 autographed bottles of Secretariat Reserve Straight Bourbon, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the thoroughbred’s 1973 Triple Crown sweep. The bourbon comes from Charlottesville-based Ragged Branch Distillery and includes grain grown at Meadow Event Park in [...]
Virginia ABC announces next Pappy lotteries
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority is again seeking to slake customers’ thirst for Pappy Van Winkle whiskeys by holding online lotteries for several varieties in February and March. Virginia ABC customers can enter online for the chance to purchase several varieties of the prized whiskeys, including one bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve […]
ABC license spikes biz in Norton
Participants in Southwest Virginia’s fourth High Knob Outdoor Fest rode mountain bikes, hiked nature trails and floated down the Clinch River, but many also sipped beer and wine in Norton’s new Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA). The DORA designation from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority lets adult customers buy drinks from ABC-licensed establishments within [&[...]
Va. ABC hires chief digital and branding officer
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority has named Vida Williams as its first chief digital and branding officer, the authority announced Thursday. Williams will guide the state ABC’s digital and web operations, communications and education with prevention teams, and support e-commerce initiatives. She started at the end of July. “Virginia ABC is committed to its […]
NoVa distillery to expand, create 42 jobs
Prince William County-based MurLarkey Distilled Spirits will invest $8.1 million to move and expand its operations, with plans to create 42 new jobs over the next three years, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday. MurLarkey will leave Bristow and establish a large new distillery and tasting room on the Manassas campus of Farm Brew Live, a […]
Hardywood taps new president, CFO and brewmaster
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, the state’s largest craft beer brewer, announced Thursday it has promoted Kate Lee as president. She previously served as vice president of operations and quality, and joined the Richmond-based brewery in 2014. Also promoted: Brian Nelson, vice president of production and head brewer, is now Hardywood’s brewmaster, and Doug Sulanke, formerly […]
Va. ABC telework plan diverges from Youngkin mandate
Employees at the Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Authority’s Mechanicsville headquarters will be returning to in-person work three days a week, not the four or five days a week that will be required of many state workers beginning July 5, following Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s telework order earlier this month. Virginia ABC CEO Travis Hill sent an […]
