Have you ever wondered what the earliest settlers drank to celebrate their arrival on the Virginia shores? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to taste some authentic pirate rum. Well, just outside of Colonial Williamsburg is a small distillery creating classic spirits using only the ingredients and materials available to those pirates and colonists who first visited the Virginia shores.
Eight Shires Coloniale Distillery, named from the original eight shires (or counties) of Virginia, is serving up history in a glass. They pride themselves on their research, preservation, and education of distilling during the Colonial Period in America (from 1578 – 1797), and they are the only distillery in America bringing colonial era spirits to the modern marketplace.
Dr. William Dodson founded the distillery in 2014 as a laboratory and research facility to bring historic spirits back to life. His team of enthusiastic historians and spirits aficionados perfected the old ways of distillation to bring the spirits of our forefathers to the public. They work with local farmers to source ingredients that would have been available to the colonial settlers, such as American Indian Maize that is used for their bourbon and gin. Dr. Dodson and his team researched the original designs for colonial era pot stills and distillation tools in order to reconstruct them and put history in a glass for Colonial Williamsburg.
I love history, so when presented with the opportunity to learn some fascinating details of American history and sample a selection of spirits dating back to the early 17th century, I was ecstatic. We met Sil and Kara from Eight Shires Coloniale Distillery both who were gracious hosts as they used spirits and cocktails to guide us on our journey back to colonial times. The history and story behind each spirit was captivating, and their knowledge of the colonial era was impressive. While Kara made cocktails that were period specific, Sil walked us through the processes and ingredients that were available to colonial settlers. He explained how they are different from the modern era spirits we know today. Each spirit and cocktail had a story of its own, but as in every distillery there is one bottle that catches your eye.
As I was sitting at the bar in Eight Shires, I noticed a bottle sitting high on a shelf, alone, and with a hefty price tag on it. I couldn’t help but ask for the story behind that bottle. Sil lit up as he began to tell me an extremely exciting story. Jamestown 1608 is a recreation of the first spirit brought to America, and quite possibly the spirit reproduced by the Jamestown settlers upon their arrival. This grain based Single Malt Whiskey is the pride and joy of Eight Shires and their partners at Jamestowne Rediscovery, as it was hand crafted using applied archeology and colonial period ingredients. The project began after an archeological team from Jamestowne Rediscovery unearthed the James Fort well and found fresh water. The well had been filled in from the original settlers, so the archaeological finds from clearing that well were astonishing. The team even found remnants of seven glass stills which were linked to John Smith’s first settlement voyage.
Once I heard this I was on pins and needles, I looked at Sil and said, “You made spirits from that well, didn’t you?” As a history nerd, I could see the fantastic opportunity presented by this discovery, but I couldn’t have imagined the historical accuracy of Jamestown 1608. The team at Eight Shires worked with Corning Glassware to recreate the glass still heads like the ones discovered in the Fort James well. But they didn’t stop there, they went on to find the heritage grains (Barley) from England that would have likely been carried over with John Smith and the Jamestown settlers. So, using historic water, grains, distilling tools, and methods the team at Eight Shires created Jamestown 1608, a piece of history brought to the modern era. Unfortunately, only 10 gallons of water were discovered in the Jamestown well, so Eight Shires was only able to make 2,000 bottles. Each 350ml hand blown glass bottle comes in a handmade wooden box with 2 hand blown whiskey glasses, only available at Eight Shires.
I was fortunate enough to sample Jamestown 1608, and it did not disappoint. My time travel back to the earliest settlements in America through spirits was now complete. I was able to sip the same style of rum as pirates, taste the same style of whiskey as colonial settlers, and drink the same Single Malt as John Smith! Eight Shires Coloniale Distillery is preserving and bringing to life a significant part of American history all while making some delicious spirits. No journey to Colonial Williamsburg would be complete without visiting Eight Shires and learning about the spirits that founded America.
A special thanks to Tucker, Sil, and Kara.
