Welcome to Founding spirits
Our Founding Farmers scratch-made, source-matters mission has expanded. Growing our love of handcrafted food and drink, we started crafting our own spirits in 2009, slowly and sustainably creating a line of award-winning spirits meticulously crafted and quickly beloved.
In 2016, we custom-built our very own small-batch distillery, Founding Spirits, in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. inside our restaurant, Farmers & Distillers.
A Farmer-Owned Distillery
Founding Spirits is majority owned by American family farmers and their values are at the heart of our distilled spirits. Every step of the process, from grain to glass, shows our commitment to farmers, hiqh-quality ingredients, and handcrafting premium products. Our distilling team cultivates unique and tasty spirits from American wheat, barley, corn, rye, and many botanicals.
We invite you to get a taste of our award-winning spirits on site at our distillery in Farmers & Distillers or at one of our sibling restaurants, Founding Farmers and Farmers Fishers Bakers. Founding Spirits is also available for purchase by the bottle in person and to go from our DC & MD restaurants, and online for nationwide shipping.
Drink extra responsibly by spending your dollars mindfully and supporting American family farmers.
Team
Founding Spirits was born of our passion for exceptional craft cocktails and more than a decade of experience running the award-winning bar & beverage programs for Founding Farmers Restaurants. Our Distiller, Bob VanLancker, has spent years bartending and managing our bar programs and knows the difference that great spirits make. After ensuring each spirit is just right, he and his team bottle and hand label our Vodka, Dry Gin, Bourbon, and American Amaro. It’s a labor of love fueled by a love of good spirits.
Learn more about Bob
Our spirits
Vodka
Ingredients matter. We only use 100% high-quality corn harvested in the heartland by American farmers. We’re certain you can taste the difference. We look forward to becoming your new go-to favorite, the bottle you give to friends & family you actually like.
Founding Spirits Vodka makes a great gift and is available for purchase online or in our DC & MD restaurants, including Farmers & Distillers. We invite you to stop by any of our restaurants for a taste of our Vodka and other spirits. Our small-batch spirits are also available wholesale.
Find it many of our cocktails at Farmers & Distillers
Dry Gin
Our award-winning Dry Gin pours easily across our fair city and beyond, offering a rich bouquet of juniper & citrus with our proprietary botanical blend that combines complexity and unexpected comfort. This is the bottle you bring when you want to get invited back.
Handcrafted in the heart of our nation’s capital, our Dry Gin is distilled in small batches using grains from farmers we know and trust. We wanted to create a dry gin perfect for a martini with a twist and a gin & tonic. And we have done it, winning SILVER at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
If you are searching for the perfect premium Dry Gin, look no further than our Founding Spirits.
Stop by one of our restaurants for a taste of our DC-made Dry Gin. You can order Founding Spirits Dry Gin online or in person at our DC and MD restaurants. Our small-batch spirits are also available wholesale.
American Amaro
Crafted with our secret blend of 21 botanicals and sweetened with wildflower honey, our award-winning, barrel aged Amaro is drinkable on its own, in cocktails, and yes, delicious over ice cream. We love the European concept of drinking something before and after a meal, and in true American fashion, we’ve evolved it, creating an approachable, delicious Amaro.
Founding Spirits American Amaro makes a great gift for any spirit connoisseur and is available for purchase online or in our DC & MD restaurants, including Farmers & Distillers. We invite you to stop by any of our restaurants for a taste of our Amaro and other spirits. Our small-batch spirits are also available wholesale.
