WV LIVING MAGAZINE | Swilled Dog Bourbon Wins Big
By Peter KRCH —
Swilled Dog’s Sherry Cask Finished Bourbon is one of the best in the world, and it has a shiny gold medal from the 2022 World Whiskies Awards to prove it. And its Double Oaked Series Bourbon – an upcoming limited release to watch for – won Silver in the same competition. “These are prestigious national awards that we are bringing home to west Virginia.” says Swilled Dog Chief Experience Manager Kim Kirk, “and we hope they bring a sense of community pride to our home state.”
The folks at Swilled Dog, headquartered in Upper Tract, also hope their success will showcase West Virginia’s agriculture industry. In that spirit, they’ve partnered with two Pendleton County farmers to plan non-GMO cornfields right next to the distillery. “You drive right past these fields when you visit our tasting room and you get a sense of the entire farm-to-bottle process in one visit.”
Another point of pride for Swilled Dog is its commitment to giving back. The company donates a portion of its profits to local communities and charities, primarily to benefit their favorite four-legged friends. Lucy Pickles – a rescue border collie who was once held captive in a puppy mill but now enjoys “international fame” as the face of Swilled Dog – inspired this aspect of the company’s mission.
But Swilled Dog is more than a philanthropic distillery – it also has a variety of craft hard ciders and canned cocktails, like its Pineapple Vodka Soda. “Swilled fans go crazy over our Pumpkin Patch Hard Cider, which is our fall seasonal,” says Kirk. “It’s a blend of apples, pumpkin, and chai tea spices that give everyone the fall flavors they’re looking for, even if they’re not pumpkin-obsessed.”
To sample a sip of Swilled Dog spirits for yourself, you can visit the tasting room in Upper Tract on Fridays and Saturdays, attend its annual luau featuring authentic Polynesian fire dancers in July 2022, or catch them at Oglebay Fest in Wheeling or the Rails and Ales Festival in Huntington in the fall.