Greenbrier County karst water—and good genes— make for award-winning spirits at The Bullock Distillery.
WHEN TIGHE AND JOHN BULLOCK AND DUSTA TANNER OPENED The Bullock Distillery in Charleston in 2018, they weren’t just starting something new—they were joining and deepening their families’ legacies. The Tanner family has a long history of making moonshine in Roane County, and the Bullocks started making spirits in Robeson County, North Carolina, before the American Revolution.
Those genes alone might be enough to ensure great fermentations. But start those fermentations with karst water from Bullock Cave in Greenbrier County, and greatness is proofed and poured.
The Bullock Distillery makes bourbon, rye whiskey, vodka, barrel-rested gin, and moonshine. Many have won awards at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition over the past two years, and the straight bourbon whiskey won a double gold in 2023—it received gold medal ratings from every member of the judging panel, a rare distinction.
The spirits themselves are delightful. But this craft distillery’s culture also makes it fun to understand the ingredients and process and to celebrate their very rootedness in West Virginia. You can feel it in the historic Elk City building the owners restored for the distillery and taste it in the Greenbrier County water and Mason County grains they use. You can read it in the thoughtful story they post about each release on their website. And you can savor it in small-batch releases that celebrate West Virginia icons: artist Charly “Jupiter” Hamilton, with his work on the label—the University of Charleston, in a libation named for its previous incarnation, Morris Harvey College—the work of the West Virginia Land Trust, in a Clean Water Series.
The Bullock Distillery offers monthly cocktail making classes. “Every class is different—it’s really fun,” says co-owner Tighe Bullock. “Chef Charlie Dodrill prepares the simple syrups or bitters or whatever we’re going to use, and he teaches the folks how to make the cocktails. Everybody has a good time.”
Some Bullock distillations are available at select stores across the state. But to make sure you don’t miss the in-house-only releases, follow the distillery on Facebook. bullockdistillery.com, “The Bullock Distillery” on FB
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM WV LIVING’S SUMMER 2025 ISSUE
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