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2017 SESSION

17104521D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 1062
Offered February 20, 2017
Commending Belmont Farms Distillery.
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Patrons-- Freitas; Senator: Reeves
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WHEREAS, Belmont Farms Distillery, a family-owned agribusiness in Culpeper County, has preserved the proud whiskey-making traditions of the Virginia Piedmont for 30 years; and

WHEREAS, Belmont Farm was established in 1836 and was occupied by Union troops during the Battle of Cedar Mountain in the Civil War; a small tenant house erected on the farm during the Great Depression stood until 1975, when the current brick Colonial home was built; and

WHEREAS, in the 1980s, Chuck and Jeanette Miller established Belmont Farms Distillery and began to revive the centuries-old tradition of whiskey making, which came to Appalachia with Scots-Irish settlers and persisted for generations as moonshine, a uniquely American white whiskey made famous during the Prohibition era; and

WHEREAS, in 1988, Chuck Miller became the first legal moonshiner in the United States and inspired dozens of other artisan distillers and entrepreneurs throughout the Commonwealth and the United States; and

WHEREAS, Belmont Farms Distillery grows and harvests its own corn, wheat, and barley on 195 acres of land, ensuring that only the highest-quality ingredients go into its products; and

WHEREAS, the hardworking staff of Belmont Farms Distillery follow a unique family recipe to cook the corn mash, which is fermented and sent to a genuine solid copper pot still that was constructed in 1933; and

WHEREAS, Belmont Farms Distillery maintains one of only a handful of copper pot stills in use today throughout the world, making its whiskey a true taste of history; and

WHEREAS, an essential part of the Culpeper County business community, Belmont Farms Distillery sells more than 10,000 cases, or 120,000 bottles, of its award-winning offerings each year and promotes tourism in the region by hosting tastings and other special events; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Belmont Farms Distillery, an outstanding family business in Culpeper County, for 30 years of providing quality products; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Belmont Farms Distillery as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the distillery’s work to preserve the history and heritage of the Commonwealth.