Distillery Spotlight: Ironclad Distillery Co.

Ironclad Distillery Co. is coastal Virginian to its core - from its building to its bourbons to its name. Ironclad Distillery is located in a warehouse more than century old, called S.W. Holt & Co., in downtown Newport News. Owner Stephen King purchased the warehouse in 2010 and, along with his family, founded Ironclad Distillery Co. in 2015. The warehouse, near the James River, was then turned into a distillery and tasting room.

Ironclad gets its name for the legendary Civil War Battle of the Ironclads. This was the first battle where ships on both sides were armored in iron and it took place within view of the distillery in Hampton Roads harbor, off the coast of Newport News.

Ironclad provides bourbon whiskey and nothing else. With grains grown locally in Virginia, their aim is to create whiskey that is accessible in flavor and price while remaining the highest quality. Of course, they have the standard Straight Bourbon, but they also have bourbons that range in flavor from the Sweeter Creations Maple Syrup Cask to the Missouri Toasted Oak Cask. Click here for a full listing.

You don’t have to take the whiskey straight; however., they also have delicious cocktails. If you enjoy the sweeter things in life, try the Maple Old Fashioned which combines their bourbon with maple syrup and orange bitters. Or if sour is more your speed, you can try The Whiskey Sour which is made from bourbon, lemon juice, orange marmalade, and agave nectar. There’s multiple ways to enjoy the Virginian bourbon whiskey at Ironclad.

From grain to glass, and from the history of the Civil War to today, Ironclad Distillery Co. is definitely a place to check out bourbon that is wholly and uniquely Coastal Virginia.