8 Shires Coloniale Distillery Releases Limited Edition Jamestowne 1608 Single Malt Whiskey

​​On August, 29th 2020, Eight Shires Coloniale Distillery released Jamestowne 1608, the first addition of its period spirits line; a recreation of the first spirit brought to America, possibly also made by the Jamestown settlers. This spirit is a grain based Single Malt Whiskey, and is the pride and joy of Eight Shires and their partner Jamestowne Rediscovery. 1608 was handcrafted using applied archeology and colonial period ingredients.

​The 1608 project took off after the archeological team at Jamestowne Rediscovery unearthed the first water to be found in the James Fort well since the time of the Jamestown settlers along with remnants of seven glass stills, used to distill spirits, from John Smith’s first settlement voyage. This discovery led to a remarkable opportunity; the chance to recreate America’s original spirit.

Several broken replica stills later, the Eight Shires team rediscovered the old ways of distillation. Water, grains, methods, and packaging all played a key role in the reproduction of this colonial spirit. Historic water, heritage grains (Barley) from England, and double pot distillation came together to create this historic spirit. Since only 10 gallons of water was uncovered at Jamestown, Eight Shires only made 2,000 bottles of this limited edition spirit. The 350ml hand blown glass bottle, packaged in a handmade wooden box set, with two hand blown whiskey glasses, is sold exclusively at Eight Shires facilities. 
​
Eight Shires is located just off Merrimac Trail in Williamsburg, Virginia and open Thursday thru Saturday from 1pm to 7pm. Come visit Eight Shires Colonial Distillery and experience living history for yourself.