A couple of months ago, #2 son and I took a day off to hit Bowman's, which is about 12 miles away.  Now that they have a Best award winner, I thought I'd just post a few pictures I took that day.

During the tasting we did, I did like the Single Barrel much more than I did the Small Batch.  The single went down nicely with a slow burn while the small batch just burned.  YMMV.  

Thanks for the excellent pics.  Nice place.  Totally agree with you about the single barrel being best.  I bought and drank a bottle of the single barrel this week due to the recent award.  Very nice bourbon even if it's a bit pricey.  What did you get to sample on the tour?

They let you sample 3 of your choice from their lines.  IIRC, they had the single barrel, small batch, rum, vodka and gin available for sample. I did the single and small, and then the single again.  

It's a small distillery with a limited ability to produce.  They have multiple warehouses on the property and each had a different character.  For example, one is low in hollow and next to the river where there's more fog and moisture whereas the higher elevation storage has more sun and you could feel less humidity. I did talk to them about their MB, which they wouldn't discuss and the master distiller was similarly reserved when talking past the mechanics of the operations.

I'd be tempted to try the single barrel just to give Bowman's the benefit of the doubt.  I know from experience that their Virginia Gentleman is pretty bad and that Bowman's Scotch is suitable only for cleaning parts.

I'll beat the horse again, but it's so tough to judge a spirit when we all "taste" so differently.  I, for some reason, have no real taste for oak and have a hard time sensing it in a bourbon.

The reason that they won't discuss the mash bill for their bourbons is that it isn't theirs. My understanding is that their bourbon is BT juice (mashbills 1 and 2) that has underone a third distillation through Bowman's copper pot still.

Good stuff, but the price point is a little out of line.