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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Appalachian Mountain Spirits Expands Distillery In Smyth County, Virginia

08/23/2016
Appalachian Mountain Spirits invested in a major expansion of its distillery in Smyth County, Virginia.

Appalachian Mountain Spirits is also committing to source 100% of its corn, barley, and rye from Virginia farmers. The Commonwealth is partnering with Smyth County and Appalachian Mountain Spirits through the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Grant.

Over the next three years, Appalachian Mountain Spirits will invest $1.95 million into the expansion of its distillery operation and create 13 new jobs in the county. Through this expansion, Appalachian Mountain Spirits will purchase more than 3 million pounds of Virginia-grown corn, barley, and rye, state officials said.

Scott Schumaker, Owner of Appalachian Mountain Spirits, said, "I want to thank the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Smyth County for believing in the little guy and giving us a hand up to make great things happen for our region and community. This is not a handout but a jump start to build a national brand, a new vision and new leadership for Appalachian Mountain Spirits.”

“AMS is focused on our community and what we can give back to the people we care about most. We use grains grown right here in the region and we are committed to sourcing every possible need we have from Virginia vendors. We will provide a world-class destination distillery in a new, tourist friendly location that we will be announcing soon. We will honor this grant by making the best whisky possible for both a national distribution and exporting to other countries,” he added.

Governor Terry McAuliffe approved a $50,000 grant from the AFID Fund to assist with the project, which Smyth County is matching with local funds. The AFID Fund is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

“Appalachian Mountain Spirits’ investment is an excellent example of the important role that small businesses play in building the new Virginia economy,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Their success reflects the strong relationship growers and producers have with manufacturers and small businesses across Virginia, and I congratulate them on their distillery expansion. We will continue to support entrepreneurial agriculture projects that are not only creating jobs, investment, and additional markets for Virginia products, but also enhancing Virginia’s reputation as a world-class spirits, wine, cider, and craft beer producer.”

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