Made with the purest ingredients in the heart of DC by Jon Arroyo and his team, we distill our Vodka with the aristocrat of wheat, Dark Northern Spring, more commonly known as Hard Red Spring Wheat. Harvested on the Watne’s family farm in North Dakota, this specific grain is a trademark of excellence in the world of wheat due to its high-protein and high-quality. Mark, Michelle, and their family are fourth-generation wheat, corn, barley, and soybean farmers; while Mark also serves as president of North Dakota Farmers Union. In addition to the ND wheat, the two other key components, rye and barley, are harvested by Billy Dawson of Bay’s Best Feed in Heathsville, VA.

Throughout his travels to South America and Europe, Jon Arroyo fell in love with digestifs and aperitifs. He made it his mission to bring the magic of the before and after dinner drink home to the United States. While Amaro can have an intimidating reputation of being too bitter, Jon and his team set out on a journey to make an approachable spirit that everyone can enjoy. Our Amaro can only be described as delicious and “never bitter,” as the name suggests.

All great things take time. We’ve been working on our handcrafted, true American Whiskey since we began our distilling adventures in 2009. Pot stilled and barrel aged for at least 18 months at Copper Fox Distillery – using our good friend and farmer, the late Billy Dawson’s Virginia-grown corn, wheat, barley, and oats – we proof, blend, and bottle it in-house at Founding Spirits. Our unique, small batch blend has a rich, smooth, and earthy taste that can be enjoyed many ways. We think you will agree, it was well worth the wait.  

The first in The Founding Farmers Spirit Project proprietary line, Founding Farmers Rye Whisky has been behind our bar since its creation in 2009 and has since become a guest favorite. Founding Farmers Rye Whisky, created in partnership with FRG Beverage Director Jon Arroyo and Copper Fox Distillery’s Master Distiller Rick Wasmund, is made with smoked apple, cherrywood, and malted barley grown by farmer Billy Dawson’s Bay’s Best Feed in Heathsville, VA, just down the road from the distillery.

Our Founding Farmers Gin is a unique single malt gin with a recipe perfected for over two years. Released in 2013, it is the product of our partnership with Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, VA. In keeping with The Founding Farmers Spirit Project philosophy, all the barley for this spirit is sourced from a neighboring farm while water for the distilling process comes from a nearby stream. Botanicals in Founding Farmers Gin, many of which are grown on the Copper Fox Distillery property, include juniper berries, cardamom, anise, orange peel, ginger, angelica, and lemon grass.