More Than Whiskey: Inside MurLarkey Distilled Spirits Review

Virginia grain, chef-driven cocktails, award-winning spirits, and one of the state’s most welcoming craft distilleries.

Some distilleries are built around whiskey.

Others are built around experiences.

MurLarkey somehow manages to build both.

Walking through the doors of their new Manassas facility, it’s immediately obvious that this isn’t designed to be a quick tasting room attached to a production floor. The entire campus feels intentional: from handcrafted cocktails and immersive tours to an expansive gift shop, an impressive new still, and a rickhouse quietly filling with Virginia whiskey.

The whiskey matters.

The vodka matters.

The gin matters.

But what MurLarkey seems most interested in creating is a place people genuinely want to spend time.

MurLarkey's motto "All Together Now" highlights the community, family centered, experiential focused aspect of the company. The sign hangs above the entryway into the distillation and tasting room — _{MurLarkey’s motto “All Together Now” highlights the community, family centered, experiential focused aspect of the company. The sign hangs above the entryway into the distillation and tasting room}

Distillery: MurLarkey Distilled Spirits
Location: Manassas, Virginia
Opened: 2015
Known for: Virginia-grown grain, Birthright Bourbon, Heritage Whiskey, award-winning flavored whiskeys, vodka, gin, and immersive visitor experiences.
Hosted by: Kevin Szady (Head Distiller), and Nicole Murray (Hospitality Team).

_{MurLarkey head distiller Kevin Szady and author Ethan Pope pose in front of the company’s brand new 35 ft column still}

From Restaurant Kitchens to Rickhouses

Every distillery has an origin story.

MurLarkey’s begins in a restaurant.

Before becoming Master Distiller and the creative force behind many of MurLarkey’s cocktails, George “Papi” Zwetkow spent years working as a chef in New York after growing up between Russia and Venezuela. Eventually he opened Clark’s Restaurant in Manassas Park, where he began experimenting with homemade moonshine that he quietly shared with regular customers.

The response convinced him there might be something bigger.

Together with founders Tom Murray, Jim Larkin, and Mike Larkin, those experiments eventually became MurLarkey Distilled Spirits.

That culinary background still shapes the distillery today.

Where many producers begin with mash bills, Papi often talks about flavor the way chefs talk about food: balance, texture, aroma, and how ingredients work together.

You can taste that philosophy across nearly every bottle.

_{Attached directly to the distillery (and now separated by a transparent glass divider per ABC law), Proof provides an upscale cocktail and restaurant experience. While owned separately, they feature almost entirely MurLarkey spirits on their drink menu.}

_{MurLarkey’s pride and joy – their brand new, just completed tasting and cocktail bar where batched cocktails and small spirits tasters are served daily}

Built Around Hospitality

Many craft distilleries offer tours.

MurLarkey feels built around hosting people.

The new facility reflects years of planning, including navigating Virginia ABC regulations that required separate production and hospitality spaces. The result is a campus that flows naturally from retail shop to cocktail bar, production floor, classrooms, and eventually the rickhouse.

Guests can choose between quick tastings, guided reserve experiences, cocktail education, complimentary short tours, or more immersive sessions led by the distilling team.

The distillery also plans to revive its popular Distiller for a Day program, allowing visitors to spend a full day helping make whiskey, from evaluating heads, hearts, and tails to filling barrels alongside the production team.

This isn’t simply a place to buy bottles.

It’s a place to learn how they’re made.

*_{A barrel signed by numerous well known liquor stores and companies marks the entrance to the distillation and tasting room}*

*_{Cards available at the counter listing the variety of experiences that MurLarkey offers}*

Virginia From Grain to Glass

MurLarkey proudly describes itself as Farm-to-Flask, and the philosophy extends well beyond marketing.

Nearly every ingredient is sourced from Virginia.

Corn now arrives from Richmond.

Malted barley comes from Copper Fox.

Even their barrels are produced within the Commonwealth (Speyside Cooperage in Atkins, VA)

Current bourbon production uses a mash bill of:

70% Virginia corn
20% Virginia rye
10% Virginia applewood and cherrywood smoked malted barley

That smoked malt is one of MurLarkey’s quiet differentiators.

Rather than dominating the whiskey with smoke, it contributes subtle layers of baking spice, roasted grain, and savory depth that become increasingly noticeable toward the finish.ive in practice.

*_{One barrel sits open in the rickhouse for tours and education experiences}*

*_{MurLarkey head distiller Kevin Szady holds glass as author Ethan Pope thieves straight from the barrel}*

A Distillery Growing Into Its Future

Inside the production floor stands MurLarkey’s most obvious sign of growth: a towering 35-foot continuous column still.

Nearby sits the original hybrid still that launched the company years earlier.

The contrast is striking.

What once felt enormous now looks almost modest beside the new equipment.

Out back, more than 500 barrels continue aging in the new rickhouse, intentionally designed to resemble the shipping containers that once stored the distillery’s earliest inventory.

One decision particularly caught my attention.

Unlike many producers, MurLarkey ages many of its barrels standing upright rather than on their sides. According to the team, this orientation reduces exposed surface area during evaporation, potentially limiting angel’s share while maintaining barrel interaction over time.

MurLarkey's original hybrid (pot/column) still from the Gainesville building — _{Compare MurLarkey’s old hybrid (pot/column) still compared to their new 35 ft behemoth continuous copper column still. The new still will not only significantly increase their production capacity… it will ensure more consistency between their products compared to the old still.}

Something for Everyone

Many distilleries eventually branch into vodka or gin.

MurLarkey began by embracing variety.

The lineup now includes:

Birthright Single Barrel Bourbon
Birthright Bottled in Bond Bourbon
Birthright Distiller’s Select Bourbon (high end blend)
Heritage Wine Cask Finished Whiskey
Smokehouse Whiskey
Coffee Whiskey
Three Tea Whiskey
Cinnamon Whiskey
Divine Clarity Vodka
Salsa Borracha Vodka
ImaGINation Gin
Ready-to-drink Old Fashioneds
Cocktail syrups
Seasonal releases (like the current Banana whiskey)

Some visitors will arrive for bourbon.

Others may never leave the flavored whiskey shelf.

That’s entirely intentional.

One phrase kept surfacing throughout the visit:

There’s a spirit here for everyone.

The MurLarkey lineup includes staples like their Divinity vodka and more exotic releases like Papi's Salsa Borracha vodka, a favorite for Bloody Mary's — *_{The MurLarkey lineup includes staples like their Divinity vodka and more exotic releases like Papi’s Salsa Borracha vodka, a favorite for Bloody Mary’s}*

MurLarkey's second gift shop area hosts most of the flavored whiskies along with local artisan and farmer's market esque items — *_{MurLarkey’s second gift shop area hosts most of the flavored whiskies along with local artisan and farmer’s market esque items}*

Tasting Highlights

Birthright Bottled in Bond

A classic high-rye bourbon profile elevated by MurLarkey’s signature smoked malted barley.

Caramel, toasted corn, gentle spice, and subtle fruit build toward a finish where the smoked grain quietly introduces itself rather than taking over.

Heritage Whiskey

Finished in red wine barrels, Heritage integrates fruit rather than masking the bourbon beneath it.

The finish feels complementary instead of dominant, creating one of the more versatile pours in the lineup.

At this time, MurLarkey only produces flavored whiskies like the Smokehouse and the bourbons pictured here including Heritage (wine finished), Birthright (bottled in bond, single barrels, and distiller's select) and their experimental Brutality series. — _{At this time, MurLarkey only produces flavored whiskies like the Smokehouse and the bourbons pictured here including Heritage (wine finished), Birthright (bottled in bond, single barrels, and distiller’s select) and their experimental Brutality series.}

Birthright Distiller’s Select

The premium expression of the distillery’s mature inventory.

Balanced, layered, and noticeably more refined than the standard release while remaining unmistakably MurLarkey.

MurLarkey's Birthright Distiller's Select is their most premium offering and a favorite choice to gift for special occasions — *_{MurLarkey’s Birthright Distiller’s Select is their most premium offering and a favorite choice to gift for special occasions}*

Brutality: Papi’s Corn (Distillery Only, Limited Release)

One of MurLarkey’s experimental “Brutality” releases involved adding freshly popped popcorn directly to mature whiskey.

The result somehow tastes remarkably like liquid Cracker Jack.

Butter.

Salted caramel.

Fresh popcorn.

Sweet corn.

Yet underneath all the experimentation remains a legitimate four-year bourbon. It sounds gimmicky on paper.

It absolutely isn’t.

MurLarkey's Brutality line is where they get experimental. Papi's Corn, pictured above, took 10 gallons out of a 4 year old bourbon barrel then added and dissolved unbuttered popcorn. — *_{MurLarkey’s Brutality line is where they get experimental. Papi’s Corn, pictured above, took 10 gallons out of a 4 year old bourbon barrel then added and dissolved unbuttered popcorn.}*

Paws of Honor Single Barrel (Distillery or VA Shipping only)

Perhaps my favorite whiskey of the afternoon.

Dark fruit leads the palate before caramel, oak, and restrained baking spice gradually emerge. It drinks comfortably around 104 proof while still delivering all the individuality you hope for from a true single barrel.

*_{For a small around $20 upcharge, you can have your bottle gifts engraved to mark an occasion like the Paws of Honor single barrel pictured above.}*

Flavored Whiskey Done Differently

Flavored whiskey often carries baggage.

MurLarkey deserves credit for challenging that perception.

Rather than relying on artificial syrups or flavor concentrates, the team uses whole natural ingredients steeped directly in whiskey inside new oak barrels using mesh infusion bags.

Real cinnamon sticks.

Real teas.

Real coffee.

Real smoked oak.

The approach produces flavors that feel integrated instead of manufactured.

The Three Tea Whiskey genuinely tastes like Earl Grey and Darjeeling rather than sweet tea.

Smokehouse leans toward backyard barbecue instead of Islay peat.

Coffee Whiskey reminds me more of chocolate-covered espresso beans than sugary coffee liqueur.

Even Salsa Borracha Vodka somehow captures fresh salsa without becoming spicy.

They’re unusual products.

More importantly, they’re well executed.

*_{Recycled oak staves from barrels are smoked before being added in large infusion bags to whiskey sitting in new oak (non charred) barrels to create their Smokehouse whiskey}*

MurLarkey uses no artificial flavorings, instead leaning on Papi's and their distillers' expertise to infuse each flavored whiskey to the perfect level in a new, non charred barrel — *_{MurLarkey uses no artificial flavorings, instead leaning on Papi’s and their distillers’ expertise to infuse each flavored whiskey to the perfect level in a new, non charred barrel}*

Labels That Finally Tell One Story

MurLarkey recently redesigned its packaging, and the change immediately stands out.

Instead of treating vodka, gin, whiskey, and flavored spirits as separate product families with unrelated identities, every bottle now feels like part of the same universe.

The whimsical illustrations, from pipe-smoking foxes to steampunk-inspired bourbon characters, create one of the most cohesive visual identities I’ve seen from an American craft distillery.

It’s playful.

It’s memorable.

And most importantly, it still feels unmistakably MurLarkey.

*_{MurLarkey & HMS announced a partnership to open the new Flights & Bites restaurant at Dulles (IAD) airport in late November 2025}*

Looking Ahead

MurLarkey isn’t slowing down.

The company will soon bring its hospitality-first approach to travelers through MurLarkey Flights & Bites at Washington Dulles International Airport, introducing visitors from around the world to Virginia spirits before they even leave the terminal.

Combined with a growing whiskey inventory, continued experimentation, and one of the strongest visitor experiences in Virginia, the distillery feels positioned for its next chapter.

Final Pour

MurLarkey makes excellent whiskey.

But that’s only part of what they’re building.

What impressed me most wasn’t a mash bill, a still, or even a favorite bottle.

It was the sense that every decision, from the cocktails to the tours, from the gift shop to the rickhouse, serves one larger purpose: bringing people together.

The whiskey gives you a reason to visit.

The hospitality gives you a reason to come back.