(Fredericksburg, VA) — Father’s Day gifts can be a tough nut to crack, particularly if Dad doesn’t drop any hints about what he wants. A. Smith Bowman Distillery has the answer: a visit to its 8th Annual Father’s Day Festival and a chance to sample the world’s best bourbon during a full day of fun. Best of all, there’s no charge for admission!

Smith Bowman Distillery, Virginia’s oldest distillery, holds the event every year to honor the important dads in our lives. This year it will take place on June 15 from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg. It will feature live music, mouth-watering food, local products, and tastings of the Distillery’s spirits. Included in the tastings will be the John J. Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon, named “World’s Best Bourbon” by Whiskey Magazine in 2017.

To add to the fun, A. Smith Bowman Distillery will for the third year partner with River Rock Outfitter to host the Deep Run Bourbon Barrel Regatta. Teams are invited to create watercraft from A. Smith Bowman Distillery bourbon barrels and race across Deep Run, which is located next to the Distillery. Awards will be given to the top teams. Proceeds from the Barrel Regatta benefit the American Canoe Association’s education and safety programs. For information about the Barrel Regatta, visit the Distillery’s event page or email Michelle Begin at mbegin@asmithbowman.com.

Food will be provided by 716 Slice, Will’s Place and Glory Dawgs. A cash bar sponsored by the Grapes & Grains Trail will be available with cocktails featuring A. Smith Bowman Distillery products, as well as local beer and wine.  Other local vendors will be on hand showing and selling items such as local honey, maple syrup, popcorn, salsa, woodwork, and cigars. A designated area will be available for cigar smoking. Music will be provided by Cabin Creek and Breaking Point Band.

“Visiting distilleries and other creators of craft alcoholic beverages is exploding in popularity,” said A. Smith Bowman Distillery’s Master Distiller Brian Prewitt. “This event gives dads the opportunity to try the premium spirits we create, but also have fun with their entire family.”

Complimentary tours of the historic Distillery will be held every half hour starting at 11 a.m. The last tour will depart at 4 p.m. Tastings will be held in the Distillery gift shop.

Smith Bowman Distillery is located at 1 Bowman Drive in Fredericksburg, Va. Parking for the event will be available at the corner of Main Street and Bourbon Drive in Bowman Center. Service animals are welcome in the festival areas.

About A. Smith Bowman

Smith Bowman’s distilling roots date back to the years before Prohibition when the Bowman family had a granary and dairy farm in Sunset Hills, Virginia. They used excess grain from the family estate to distill spirits. In 1934, after the Repeal of Prohibition, Abram Smith Bowman and his sons continued the family tradition and built a more modern distillery in Fairfax County, Virginia called Sunset Hills Farm. The Distillery was moved in 1988 and is now nestled in Spotsylvania County near the city of Fredericksburg, 60 miles away from the original location.

As a small and privately-owned company, A. Smith Bowman Distillery continues the time-honored traditions on which it was founded. Considered a micro-distillery by today’s standards, A. Smith Bowman Distillery produces an assortment of hand-crafted spirits distilled from only the finest natural ingredients and using the latest technology. This micro-distillery focuses on the production of premium spirits honoring the legacy of Virginia’s first settlers. Its various brands have won more than 100 awards in the past five years, including “World’s Best Bourbon” in 2016 for its Abraham Bowman Port Finished Bourbon and again in 2017 for its John J. Bowman Single Barrel at the World Whisky Awards. For more information on A. Smith Bowman Distillery, please visit asmithbowman.com.