A. Smith Bowman Master Distiller Joe Dangler to Retire Oct. 1st
Fredericksburg, VA. (Sept. 2011) – Joe Dangler, a longtime fixture at A. Smith Bowman Distillery, will be retiring as Master Distiller effective Oct. 1st, 2011.
Dangler spent 33 years at A. Smith Bowman, starting as bottling plant superintendent in 1978 before being promoted to assistant plant superintendent and next plant superintendent. The A. Smith Bowman board of directors then elected Dangler vice president, production, where he remained until assuming the role of master distiller in 2003.
While training for the master distiller role, Dangler had the pleasure of learning under Tom Leahy, who had a wealth of knowledge gained from working at a distillery in Louisville, Ky. Leahy remained a mentor and close friend of Dangler until the end of his life.
Under Dangler’s reign, Virginia Gentleman Bourbon won a double gold and was named “Best American Whiskey” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2003, an honor of which he is most proud.
Another of Dangler’s career highlights as master distiller was the creation of the A. Smith Bowman collection, an assortment of six spirits, consisting of three whiskeys, one rum, one vodka and one gin.
Dangler has been very active in the community, serving as board member and eventually chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, served two three year terms on the Chamber of Commerce board, and was a co-founder of the Leadership Fredericksburg program where he currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board. He also was a member of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) technical committee and was part of the early development of the George Washington Distillery.
Upon his retirement, Dangler plans to spend time with his wife Emily, travel, learn to play the mandolin, and buy a share of a race horse.
About A. Smith Bowman Distillery
A. Smith Bowman’s distilling roots date back to the years before Prohibition. In 1935, after the Repeal of Prohibition, Abram Smith Bowman and his sons continued the family tradition of the distillation of bourbon. The original distillery was located on the Bowman family homestead in Fairfax County, Virginia called Sunset Hills Farm. In response to the rapid growth of Northern Virginia, the distillery was moved in 1988 and is now nestled in Spotsylvania County near the city of Fredericksburg, 60 miles away from the original location.
As a small and privately owned company, A. Smith Bowman Distillery continues the time-honored traditions on which it was founded. Considered a micro-distillery by today’s standards, A. Smith Bowman produces an assortment of hand-crafted spirits distilled from only the finest natural ingredients and using the latest technology. This micro-distillery focuses on the production of premium spirits honoring the legacy of Virginia’s first settlers. For more information on A. Smith Bowman, please visit www.asmithbowman.com
