New distillery licensed in Jefferson County

Devil’s Due Distillery has been issued its WV state micro-distillery license and will soon open its tasting room near Kearneysville in Jefferson County. It joins a growing number of new small distilleries popping up around the state.

The distillery is led by Wylie McDade, who is originally from nearby Purcellville, Virginia. McDade has stated his plans are to produce traditional, small batch, grain-to-bottle bourbons, whiskeys, and seasonal spirits and liquors. After retiring from the U.S. Navy, McDade partnered with his brother-in-law Brian Halbert to found the business.

The distillery is located in the Burr Industrial Park operated by the Jefferson County Development Authority, and sits approximately 5 miles west of downtown Charles Town. The distillery operates out of a new 4,000 sq. ft. building, which houses its production equipment, tasting room and distillery store.

Published reports have not contained much detail on exactly what they plan to produce or how soon they will have the various products available for sale. We expect they will open with a couple of distilled spirit products that they purchase from other distilleries, then over time, add they own whiskies to the mix. This is a model that has worked well for Smooth Ambler Spirits and many others. According to the distillery Facebook page, their first product will be a sourced, three-year-old bourbon they are calling Devil’s Due Straight Bourbon. The Facebook post did not say which distillery they purchased the bourbon from.

For its in-house production, Devil’s Due reports it plans to purchase much of the raw agricultural products used from the local Jefferson County area, primarily corn and wheat. McDade and Halbert hope the distillery tasting room will serve as a destination for tourists coming to Jefferson County. Watch the Devil’s Due Facebook page for announcements about the grand opening.

A West Virginia micro-distillery may produce a maximum of 10,000 gallon of alcoholic liquor per year. Because no more than 25% of the raw agricultural products used in production may originate from outside the state, they are seen as a boost to WV agriculture. A micro-distillery may offer complimentary samples for tastings on the micro-distillery’s premises, but no more than 3 oz. per person per day.

Over the past year, six new distillery licenses have been issued by the WVABCA. This flurry of activity is a modern-day record for distillery start-ups in a year. It shows the growing popularity of small-batch spirit products with consumers, who love to explore the local distillery culture much in the same way beer drinkers enjoy exploring new craft breweries.

Devil’s Due Distillery
315 James Burr Blvd.
Kearneysville, WV

Distillery Facebook Page Link