Coastal Virginia Spirits Soiree

By: Coastal Virginia Magazine
November 6, 2017

November-December 2017

Three people pose at a THRIVE booth with a "Massage Therapy" banner, teal balloons, and product-filled tables.

Three people pose at a Hot 100 and 97.3 The Eagle booth with a prize wheel, candy, and a Shen Yun sign nearby.

Staff in teal shirts work at a THRIVE Proactive Health booth with balloons and a massage table.

Two men stand behind a KO Distilling booth at an expo, with bottles, a small barrel and raffle signs.

Three women smile behind a MurLarkey Distilled Spirits booth with red tablecloth, bottles, and a "Farm to Flask" banner.

Three smiling women in matching gray MurLarkey shirts pose before a "Farm to Flask" banner at a spirits event.

A smiling bearded man in a pink Tidewater Rum shirt and cap stands before a Dead Reckoning Distillery banner.

Two smiling people stand behind a spirits booth with Blackbeard's Point Rum and Dog Star Vodka bottles, shirts, and caps.

Two smiling people pose arm in arm in a large event hall, the woman holding a yellow card and the man holding a glass.

A woman in a blue top stands at a long table of rows of plastic wine glasses at a tasting event.

A woman in a red dress and tan cardigan and a man in a gray sweater pose together at a Coastal Virginia Magazine event.

Six people stand smiling behind a Coastal Virginia Magazine booth with glasses and welcome packets on the table.

James River Distillery booth at a spirits event, with two staff pouring samples beside a customer.

Two smiling people stand at the Copper Fox Distillery booth, the man holding a bottle of whiskey, with banners behind them.

Two people stand behind a Coastal Virginia magazine booth with banners, caps, magazines and jars on a draped table.

Two people stand behind a Vitae Spirits booth with bottles, tasting drinks, and banners at an event.

Two smiling people stand behind a black draped booth displaying Virginia Distilling Co. bottles, banners, and branded materials.

Three people stand smiling at the Ironclad Distillery Co. booth, with branded t-shirts and bottles on display.

A.Smith Bowman booth at an event, with a staffer speaking to a visitor beside bottles and a banner reading "Experience Virginia's Pioneering Spirit.

Two men stand behind a booth of steampunk jewelry under a banner reading "Original Steampunk Designs by David Riley.

A woman stands behind a trade show table of Keep It Simple Syrup bottles and jars, beside a large "Keep It Simple Syrup" banner.

Three people stand behind a Three Bros. Distillery booth with caps, jars, bottles and a jug of orange drink.

Two smiling women in 94.9 the Point staff shirts stand behind a booth with a "Register to Win Cupcakes" sign.

A woman stands smiling at an "Art by Juggie" booth displaying paintings of seascapes, mountains, and lighthouses at an indoor event.

A smiling woman in a black top and jeans stands before a display of Art by Auggie seascape and lighthouse paintings.

Two smiling people stand behind a Belmont Farm Distillery booth with rum bottles, a small barrel, and a red tablecloth.

Five smiling people sit around a round table with plates of food, a flower centerpiece, and water glasses in a bright event hall.

A smiling man in a plaid shirt and a smiling woman with a tattoo sit at a table holding drinks at an event.

A smiling man in a teal shirt and blue bandana holds a bottle of Catoctin Creek whiskey at a black-draped booth.

Two smiling women pose behind a Chesapeake Bay Distillery table holding bottles, with rows of spirits displayed in front.

A large event hall where guests seated at tables watch musicians perform on a stage with pumpkin displays.

Two men stand at a Belle Isle Craft Spirits booth beside a large beverage dispenser and bottles of spirits.

A man in a black shirt pours amber spirits into a sampling glass for a woman at a crowded tasting event.

Four people stand behind a Reservoir Distillery booth with bourbon bottles, glasses, and branded caps at a spirits event.

Two smiling men stand behind a table of Cirrus Vodka bottles at a trade show booth.

A chef in a tall white toque and purple gloves stands behind a carving station with roast beef under a heat lamp.

Five smiling adults stand together holding drinks at an indoor event, with a man in a gray cap at center.

A chef in a white toque and blue gloves arranges rolls beside a chafing dish and a plated slider.

A crab cake slider with orange remoulade on a small bun, served beside creamy coleslaw on a white square plate.

A chef in a white coat and blue gloves holds a plate of tacos topped with diced tomato and cheese.

A smiling chef in a white jacket and tall toque stands behind a buffet with heat lamps and white seahorse statues.

A man in a light blue shirt plays an acoustic guitar on a stage decorated with autumn flowers, corn stalks and pumpkins.

Two men perform on stage with guitars at music stands, while a sound engineer works at a mixing board behind them.

Bottles of Chesapeake Bay Distillery bourbon and other spirits with pour spouts sit in a clear tub at a tasting event.

Two men play acoustic guitars at a microphone during an indoor event, with a banner and drinks behind them.

Two musicians perform on a stage, one playing an electric guitar and the other an acoustic guitar, with sheet music and autumn decor nearby.

A smiling woman in black stands beside a tall "Taste Virginia Tours" banner at an expo booth.

A man in a light blue shirt and name badge stands at a Shen Yun 2018 booth with a banner and video screen.

Guests mingle at a Coastal Virginia event hall with musicians performing on stage behind round tables and folding chairs.

A woman in a black t-shirt pours a sample of whiskey for a guest at a spirits tasting event.

A man and a woman browse necklaces at a jewelry booth on a crowded show floor, with sequined fabric in the foreground.

Visitors browse a Three Bros. Distillery booth with bottles and tasting glasses, beside a Ragged Branch Distillery display at an expo.

A smiling woman in a brown polo stands behind a tasting table of amber bourbon bottles at the A. Smith Bowman Distillery booth.

Bowman Brothers, John J. Bowman and Sunset Hills spirits lined up on a barrel-stave tasting tray as a server pours.

Three smiling adults sit at a white-clothed table with drinks and a flower centerpiece, with cake displays behind them.

A smiling man in a blue polo looks back over his shoulder at a woman in a teal shirt in a large columned hall.

Five smiling people stand together indoors in front of large glass windows overlooking trees and parked cars.

Smiling woman in a white sleeveless top receives a white shirt from a staffer at a Virginia WineFest event table.

Four smiling adults pose together in a large convention hall, three holding tote bags and drinks.

Two smiling people pose at a Reservoir Distillery booth beside a large bottle banner, with a woman in a gray hat.

Four smiling people pose together at an indoor event, with a sign reading "A. Smith Bowman Collection" behind them.

Two smiling women pose together at an event booth with Three Bros. Distillery and Virginia's Finest signs behind them.

Three smiling men pose together at an indoor event hall, one holding a clear tasting glass.

A smiling woman with glasses and a bald bearded man in a black shirt pose together at an indoor event, holding drinks.

Two smiling men in lime-green Three Bros. polo shirts and caps stand at a Virginia Agriculture "Virginia's Finest" booth.

Two smiling people pose in a convention hall, the woman holding a Coastal Virginia Magazine issue with a cover headline.

Three smiling women pose together at a Taste Virginia Tours booth with wine, spirits, and a drink, beside a tour banner.

A woman pours a yellow cocktail from a pitcher at a "Keep It Simple" syrup booth while guests in a crowded expo hall watch.

Three men fist-bump over a white table with a Corona Extra ice bucket, limes, mixers and herbs.

A buffet table with mint, lime, lemon, bowls of ice, and bottles of juice, soda, and Corona Extra beer.

Three smiling people sit behind a white draped table at a crowded indoor event, with standing guests and round tables behind them.

Bartenders and guests at a spirits tasting event with cocktail tools and a red marquee sign.

A man in a flat cap and black shirt arranges fresh herbs and limes on plates at a crowded event table.

A bartender in a denim jacket squeezes a lime with a metal press at a crowded cocktail station with glasses and shakers.

A bartender in a cap and apron shakes a cocktail shaker at a long draped table in a crowded convention hall.

Bottle of Belle Isle Honey Habanero moonshine beside several cocktails in rocks glasses, with an orange citrus press on a white tablecloth.

A bartender in a gray cap and dark apron shakes a cocktail shaker at a crowded spirits tasting event in a convention hall.

A bearded bartender in a denim jacket garnishes cocktails on a draped bar, with a woman in the background.

Black-and-white scene of a bartender in a flat cap passing drinks to guests across a cluttered bar.

A man in a black cap and polo holds a microphone while speaking to seated guests at a spirits event stage.

A man in a white shirt holds out a cocktail with lime wheels at a judging table while two women and a crowd watch.

A tattooed bartender in a flat cap and dark apron pours a drink at a crowded event hall.

Three smiling men pose together at a crowded spirits tasting event in a large convention hall.

Man in glasses and a denim jacket holds a silver cocktail shaker and two spirit bottles, labeled Belle Isle and Vitae.

A smiling woman with arms outstretched at a Taste Virginia Tours booth draped in gold, with wine bottles and grapes.

Three women stand behind a draped table of tasting glasses at a Coastal Virginia Magazine wine fest booth.

Three smiling women pose together in a bright convention hall beside a "Spirits Soiree Bag Check" sign.

Rows of wine glasses with yellow tags sit on a draped table at the Coastal Virginia Magazine booth.

Paintings of beaches, lighthouses, and landscapes hang on display stands and dark curtains at an art booth, with a sign reading "Art by Juggie.

Yellow and black tickets reading CoVa Battle of the Burgers fan out in a circle around an empty glass.

On Nov. 4, Coastal Virginia Magazine and the Virginia Distillers Association hosted the first ever Coastal Virginia Spirits Soiree at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Distilleries from all over the state, vendors and guests gathered to celebrate the resurgence of spirits in the Commonwealth with bourbon, whiskey, rum, brandy, vodka and gin tastings and cocktails in commemorative souvenir glasses.

Distinctive Gourmet provided catered upscale foods, while PC Duo and Colonial DJs put on a spectacular show with live entertainment. Talented and local bartenders competed in a cocktail contest in front of a panel of judges to craft the best drink using creative ingredients and craft spirits, with Saltine’s Josh Seaburg being named the winner.

A special thanks to all of the distilleries, vendors, live performers and mixologists for making this a spirited event!

CVM

Coastal Virginia Magazine

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Offering up stellar editorial and photography on a range of feature topics from personal and business profiles to the region's cuisine and style scene, Coastal Virginia Magazine provides an in-depth glimpse into what's happening in the region. Each issue offers up something new, from the annual Top Docs feature to Best Of CoVa Readers' Choice Awards, while still always providing insight from the regular columnists and news on the latest local events in the Datebook section.